UK foreign minister to meet Rubio over tensions at joint air base
Britain’s foreign minister Yvette Cooper will meet United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Friday amid rising tensions over their joint military base on Diego Garcia. The talks follow President Donald Trump’s renewed criticism of the UK’s decision to cede sovereignty over the surrounding Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under a deal agreed last year by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Britain will transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands while keeping control of the Diego Garcia base through a 99 year lease that guarantees continued US military access. Washington initially backed the arrangement, but Trump has since repeatedly attacked it, calling the move a “big mistake” and warning London not to “give away Diego Garcia.” The dispute has sharpened as the US steps up military deployments around Iran and weighs possible strikes against its nuclear and military facilities. British […]
