Amid Trump’s plan for attack on Iran, US Pacific Fleet chief visits Lanka View(s):The Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Steve Koehler, wound up a two-and-a-half-day visit to Colombo yesterday amidst warnings by US President Donald Trump of staging a possible military strike on Iran from the US-UK military base at Diego Garcia, some 1,000 miles south of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean. The New York Times reported that President Trump has the option to take military action as soon as this weekend, as diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear programme remain inconclusive. Ambassador Sergio Gor, in a post after meeting President Dissanayake, referred to “working together to advance stability in the region”. Diego Garcia of the Chagos Islands is currently home to a strategic UK-US military base. The Diego Garcia base has recently been used for operations in West Asia against Yemen’s Houthis and in humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Source: Sunday Times February 21, 2026 19:53 UTC