US President Donald Trump issued a direct warning to Iran on February 18, 2026, stating that America may launch military action from the remote Diego Garcia base if Tehran refuses a new nuclear deal.
In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Should Iran decide not to make a Deal, it may be necessary for the United States to use Diego Garcia, and the Airfield located in Fairford, in order to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous Regime — An attack that would potentially be made on the United Kingdom, as well as other friendly Countries…”
The comment links the UK-Mauritius Chagos Islands sovereignty deal (which still guarantees full US/UK military use of Diego Garcia for 99 years) to the ongoing Geneva nuclear negotiations. While some progress has been reported, major gaps remain on uranium enrichment limits and ballistic missiles.
Located 2,500+ miles south of Iran in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia is America’s only permanent base in the region and is often called “Bomber Island.” Its 12,000-foot runway regularly hosts B-2 Spirit stealth bombers and supports long-range precision strikes on hardened underground targets like Fordow — well beyond the reach of Iranian missiles.
The base has played key roles in past operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump’s mention of RAF Fairford in the UK further signals that strategic US bomber assets are on standby across two continents.
Analysts view the statement as classic maximum-pressure diplomacy: keeping credible military options visible to push Iran toward concessions without immediate escalation. Oil markets showed slight easing on continued talks, but tensions remain elevated.
Whether the warning accelerates a breakthrough or hardens positions will likely become clear in the coming weeks.