Diego Garcia: Why this remote island is US military's trump card in bombing Iran

This image released by the US Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia. (US Navy via AP, File)

Diego Garcia is home to lush vegetation dotted with palm and coconut trees, pristine white sand beaches surrounded by turquoise blue water – a picture-perfect heaven on Earth. One of the remotest islands on the planet, the nearest landmass from this island is roughly 1,600 km away.

Totally out of bounds for civilians, this is not a tourist destination. Instead, Diego Garcia is a not-so-secretive military base jointly administered by the UK and the US. Mired in rumours, the island has been at the centre of a dispute between the UK and Mauritius. But soon, this picturesque island will likely be roaring with loud thunders of fighter jets. This is because there is a strong buzz that the Donald Trump administration is likely to authorise the use of B-2 stealth bombers from the airbase at Diego Garcia.

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This makes the island the key to the American military intervention in the ongoing Israel-Iran war. There are several reports the stealth bombers are likely to be flown to target Iran’s nuclear site, which is somewhere deep in a mountain at Fordow. The Trump administration will not want any boots on the ground. Hence, the aerial attack will help the US to destroy the reported enrichment site.

At present, there are around four American Stratofortress bombers stationed at the Diego Garcia airbase. The B-52H Stratofortresses are capable of carrying both precision-guided munitions as well as nuclear warheads.

Apart from the bombers, the airbase is also home to C-17 Globemaster III troop and cargo transport planes, an AFP satellite analysis says. There are six KC-135 airborne refuelling tanker jets at the base as well, the report added.

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The last time Diego Garcia was used by the US military was back in the early 2000s. Tankers operating from the airbase located on the island had refuelled US B-2 bombers that had flown from the US to carry out the first airstrikes on Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks in 2001. And, during the subsequent “war on terror,” aircraft were also sent directly from the island itself to Afghanistan and Iraq.

But the US cannot use the airbase unilaterally. This is because technically, the island belongs to the UK. Any use of the airbase has to be signed off by the British Prime Minister.

History of Diego Garcia

Part of the Chagos Archipelago or British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), Diego Garcia is one of the 60 islands. In 1965, this was the last colony established by Britain that separated the island from Mauritius. Located about halfway between East Africa and Indonesia, the military base is critical for the US and the UK for presence in the Indo-Pacific region. In 1966, a pact was inked between the two nations and the island was leased to the US for 50 years. Later, the agreement was extended and the current deadline is set to end in 2036.