Latest Diego Garcia News & Updates

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Saturday explained India’s decision to permit an Iranian naval vessel to dock in Kochi amid the escalating conflict in West Asia, saying the ships had been “caught on the wrong side of events”.Speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, EAM Jaishankar described how India had received a request from Iran regarding one of its naval ships, IRIS Lavan, which had reported technical problems while operating in the regio…

United Nations, Feb 20 (IANS) Iran will respond “decisively and proportionately” to any military aggression, exercising its right to self-defence under the UN Charter, its UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said in a letter to the secretary-general and the president of the Security Council.Citing US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on Diego Garcia, Iravani wrote: “In such circumstances, all bases, facilities, and assets of the hostile force in the region would constitute legitimate targets …

Washington, Feb 18 (IANS) The United States and Mauritius will hold bilateral discussions next week in Port Louis focused on security cooperation and the future operation of the military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos archipelago, the US State Department said.From February 23–25, the talks will be led by the Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs with participation from across the US interagency, according to a media note.“These discussions underscore the continued …

Washington, Feb 12 (IANS) Underscoring the strategic importance of the US naval support facility at Diego Garcia, lawmakers and a senior State Department official have said that safeguarding Indian Ocean sea lanes is central to countering China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. During a House subcommittee hearing on South and Central Asia, Congressman Bill Huizenga said: “The Indian Ocean is one of the busiest maritime corridors on the earth, carrying the lifeblood of global commerce …

Washington, Feb 6 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said he will never allow the US military presence at Diego Garcia to be threatened, warning that he retains the right to “militarily secure and reinforce” the base if future arrangements break down or US forces are endangered.“I have had very productive discussions with (British) Prime Minister Keir Starmer about the Island of Diego Garcia,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It is the site of a major US Military Base, strategical…

Washington, Jan 21 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said he opposed a British plan to hand control of the Diego Garcia military base to Mauritius and then lease it back, questioning why London would give up what he called an important strategic asset.Speaking at a White House media availability marking one year since his return to office, Trump said he did not support the arrangement involving Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military base in the Indian Ocean. “I’m against that,” he said, addin…

Washington, Jan 20 (IANS). U.S. President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday sharply criticised the United Kingdom over its plans to transfer Diego Garcia, home to a critical U.S. military base, to Mauritius, warning that the move reflected strategic weakness and posed serious national security risks. In a statement posted on his official social media account, Trump said Britain was acting irresponsibly by considering the handover of the strategically located island. “Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ N…