Yesterday morning, Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at a joint US-UK military base on the island of Diego Garcia, a US official told CNN.
Diego Garcia is part of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago more than 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) northeast of Mauritius. The UK took over the islands along with Mauritius in 1814 after the defeat of Napoleon.
In 1965, the UK detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, which became independent three years later. In exchange for detaching the islands, Britain gave Mauritius £3 million and “committed to return the islands when they were no longer required for defense purposes,” according to a 2025 House of Lords briefing.
In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to condemn the UK’s occupation of the Chagos Islands. More than five years later, London said it would give up sovereignty of the archipelago.
Under the terms of a treaty, once it gives the islands up, the UK will pay Mauritius $136 million each year for a 99-year lease on the military base at Diego Garcia, meaning the UK and US can still use the facility.
US President Donald Trump has accused the United Kingdom of “great stupidity” over its plan to hand over ownership, and earlier this month berated London for denying the US permission to use British military bases in the islands for offensive strikes against Iran.
Diego Garcia has helped to launch two invasions of Iraq, served as a vital landing spot for bombers that fly missions across Asia, including over the South China Sea, and has been linked to US rendition efforts.
CNN’s Jenni Marsh, Christian Edwards, Zachary Cohen, Laura Sharman and Isaac Yee contributed to this reporting.
