Following the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on the 16th that Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, located roughly 5250㎞ from Tehran, the Iranian capital, is drawing attention. The Yomiuri said the reason a small island with a total area of only 30㎢ is attracting international attention is that it is a strategic strongpoint jointly used by the United Kingdom and the United States and a region where the United States, China, and India are vying for influence.

Diego Garcia, in the middle of the Indian Ocean and part of the British Chagos Archipelago, is a little more than ten times the size of Yeouido (2.9㎢), yet it has a runway capable of accommodating stealth strategic bombers. The straight-line distance between the island and Tehran is about 5250㎞, so it can serve as a stopover when U.S. bombers sortie toward Iran. This is why the United States recently sought to use the air base on the island for strikes on Iran.

In earlier major U.S. wars such as the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, the air base on Diego Garcia served as a strategic hub. Because of this importance, some military experts refer to the island as the ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier,’ an expression more commonly used for Taiwan.

Discord over the use of Diego Garcia by the United States and the United Kingdom, which has continued for more than half a century, began in May last year when Britain decided to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. However, Britain and Mauritius signed an agreement under which the United Kingdom would use the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years and pay base-use fees in return. When Mauritius, a former British colony, became independent in 1968, the Chagos Archipelago remained under British rule.

Regarding the decision by U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer to return it to Mauritius, U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the move on social media last month, saying, “It is very foolish for Britain to hand over important land.”

Trump also repeatedly criticized Starmer after the prime minister, citing a violation of international law, refused to approve the use of the Diego Garcia base by U.S. forces for airstrikes on Iran. The British tabloid The Sun reported on the 3rd that Trump said, “I really did not think I would see that from Britain. It is very sad that the relationship is clearly not what it used to be.” Trump also said, “It took three or four days to review an (alternative) landing site.”

A recent contest for influence between India and China in waters near the island is also elevating the strategic importance of Diego Garcia. The Yomiuri reported that India is building a base in the Agalega Islands of Mauritius and that, as of the 11th (local time), an Indian Navy frigate (escort ship) was moored at the port of Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius. The Yomiuri analyzed that Mauritius, which has no standing army, appears to be seeking to check China, which is establishing naval stopovers across the Indian Ocean, by cooperating with India.

Local residents, amid such great-power tensions, are voicing anxiety that the island could come under missile attack. A resident of Port Louis told the Yomiuri, “If rumors spread that missiles are coming, tourists will not come and the economy will plunge,” adding, “We want the United States and the United Kingdom to leave (Diego Garcia).”