Argentina plans sanctions on oil firms off Falklands, says Milei
Argentina's President Javier Milei has said his government will impose economic sanctions on energy companies exploring for oil off the Falkland Islands, escalating the long-running sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom.
In a nationally televised address surrounded by his cabinet on Thursday, Milei said the Sea Lion oilfield, roughly 130 miles from the islands, represented a "clear and present danger" to Argentina's territorial claim. He said he would introduce a bill in Congress to impose sanctions on firms involved in oil exploration in the area, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas.
Two companies are expected to begin extracting oil from the field, estimated to contain 1.7 billion barrels, within two years: Britain's Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum. Rockhopper has described the oil there as "highly marketable crude." Navitas has publicised its work on the islands, including building a dock, a heliport and accommodation for oil workers.
Milei insisted that the islands were "historically and legally" Argentinean. "If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea — something that has never happened before," he said.
He also announced plans for a naval base in the southern province of Tierra del Fuego, saying the United States was "assessing its historical position" in regard to the Falklands. "There are winds of change in the world that are favourable to our claim," Milei said, describing Britain as a nation "in decline."
The United States has traditionally remained neutral in the dispute, but President Donald Trump has suggested it might reconsider its stance if Britain does not increase defence spending. In an interview with GB News this week, Trump said Britain had "not been there to help me" in relation to the US confrontation with Iran. Hours before Milei's speech, Sarah Rogers, a senior US State Department official, posted a photo with the Argentine president and wrote: "Exciting things are happening in the Western Hemisphere."
The United Kingdom, which administers the Falkland Islands as a British overseas territory, reiterated that the islanders have the right to determine their own future. "Falkland islanders are British with a right to determine their own future," a UK government representative said. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of residents voted to remain British, with only three voting against.
Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982, leading to a 74-day war with Britain in which a British task force recaptured the islands. The conflict killed 255 British military personnel, three islanders and 649 Argentine military personnel.
The sovereignty dispute remains unresolved after more than four decades. The development of commercially viable oil in the surrounding waters has added an economic dimension to the disagreement, with Argentina's proposed sanctions likely to further complicate diplomatic and commercial relations between the two countries.
