Getty"Do not give away Diego Garcia," US President Donald Trump has said as he criticised the UK's plan to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back an important military base.
Trump said "this land should not be taken away from the U.K." and if it did it would be "a blight on our Great Ally", in a post on social media.
This comes despite Washington on Tuesday giving its official backing to London's plan to cede sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius.
Trump's latest comments come ahead of talks between the US and Mauritius planned for next week.
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the archipelago, and is used by the UK and US armed forces.
Under the plan, the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for a period of 99 years.
