In a sharp escalation, Iran attempted to strike the joint UK-US base Diego Garcia with two intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Both failed: one broke apart in flight and the other was targeted by an SM-3 interceptor from an American warship. The base was left untouched. The significance, however, lies less in the failure than in the fact that the attempt was made at all, which has expanded the scope of the existing conflict zone beyond all expectations.
Diego Garcia forms part of the Chagos Archipelago – sovereign British territory – and is one of the most critical platforms for American power projection anywhere on earth. It functions as an unsinkable aircraft carrier for US heavy bombers and as a deep-water harbor for nuclear submarines operating across the Indian Ocean and into the Indo-Pacific. Yet as Iran targets the islands with missiles, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues to press ahead with his plans to hand over sovereignty to Mauritius, rather than to reinforce British control over it.
Britain should be reinforcing control over its territories, not handing them away to countries whose interests sit in stark contrast to its own
The Chagos handover proposal was already a serious error of political judgment before this conflict began. The proposed treaty would hand sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, while Britain would lease Diego Garcia back for 99 years at a cost of roughly £3.4 billion ($4.5 billion). Now, this arrangement looks even more inconceivable for the British government to defend. The strike attempt has exposed what the policy means in practice: Britain abandoning control over a key strategic asset precisely as it is being drawn into a live conflict.
The attempt shows that Iran’s missile capabilities may be more advanced than many observers had assumed. For years, Tehran has insisted its missile range was limited to roughly 2,000 kilometers. Diego Garcia sits at double that distance. The decision to attempt the strike with systems never before used operationally is deeply unsettling. British sovereign territory that has relied on sheer remoteness for safety is now within enemy reach.
Starmer’s lackluster approach to Britain’s defense during this conflict has already undermined his credibility. Following an Iranian-backed drone strike on RAF Akrotiri on Cyprus earlier this month, which damaged a hangar, the Cypriot government renewed calls for talks that could threaten the future of the British sovereign base areas. At the same time, the British government faced criticism for moving too slowly to permit full American use of UK facilities. President Trump was blunt: Britain “took far too long” to grant access, and despite weeks of American military build-up there had been no Royal Navy warship in position to support operations. The pattern has been consistent: weakness, hesitation and increasing exposure.
Chagos brings that pattern into sharper focus because of who Britain proposes to hand it to. This is not a neutral transfer. Mauritius has backed Iran and condemned western strikes, while pressing for control of the territory even as Iranian missiles target the base Britain plans to lease back. Starmer is proposing to transfer sovereignty over a critical strategic asset under attack to a country whose positions are directly opposed to its own and the United States, amidst a rapidly escalating conflict. When the threat level rises, Britain should be reinforcing control over its own territories, not handing them away to countries whose interests sit in stark contrast to its own – and those of its indispensable American partner.
Tellingly, concerns over Chagos are no longer confined to London. American officials are already considering how to guarantee the base’s long-term security if confidence in Britain’s position continues to erode. For any British government, the fact that such scenarios are being contemplated – that Washington is beginning to consider securing a British sovereign asset because London appears unprepared to do so itself – should be profoundly sobering.
This is the moment for Britain to reinforce Chagos, not relinquish it. The Iranian strike attempts have settled the question beyond doubt. Handing away sovereign territory is a dangerous and irrational indulgence that Britain and its partners cannot afford.
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