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3. U.K. Denies U.S. Use of Diego Garcia for Potential Iran Strikes

The U.K. is denying permission to U.S. use of bases on British territory to launch attacks against Iran, the British government expressed on Thursday.

One of the U.K. bases, Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands of the Indian Ocean, is a key strategic asset to U.S. military power projection in the Middle East and Asia. 

The base has been a critical node of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Iraq as a refueling station for bombers and naval assets, indispensable to the ability to take part in conflicts in the region. As the U.S. shifts military assets to the Middle East in the largest buildup in the region since the 2003 Iraq war, it has once again become a place of focus.

On Wednesday following the second round of talks between the U.S. and Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, Trump stated that “it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia” to carry out attacks against the Iranian regime. 

Trump began to criticize the U.K. plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius following the decision to not allow the islands be used as a base for striking Iran.

The British stance comes at the helm of countries around the Middle East declaring their positions regarding a U.S.-Iran conflict scenario. 

Countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan have stated that their land and airspace are not to be used to carry out any military offensives. 

Other actors such as Hezbollah and the Houthis have stated that they would take part in a regional conflict aligned with Iran if provoked. 

Israel has stated that it would retaliate against Iran if attacked, and that it is reserving the option to strike Iran unilaterally if a U.S.-Iran deal did not properly address Israel’s security concerns.