Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, has significantly escalated tensions with the United Kingdom by threatening sanctions against companies considering exploring for and extracting oil in the waters surrounding the Falkland Islands.
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Reiterating the stance that the islands, known in his country as Las Malvinas, belong to Argentina, Milei stressed that the Sea Lion oil field, which is estimated to hold around 1.7 billion barrels of reserves, poses an “immediate and concrete risk.”
The initiative involves the British company Rockhopper Exploration and the Israeli firm Navitas Petroleum, which aim to begin operations in the coming years.
The British government has dismissed Milei’s claims, underscoring that the residents of the Falklands enjoy the right to self-determination and to exploit their natural resources.
The strained climate has deepened further following comments from Donald Trump, who has suggested that the United States might review its position regarding the islands issue.
The dispute over these territories erupted into armed conflict in 1982 between Argentina and Great Britain. During a referendum held in 2013, 99.8% of voters on the islands chose to remain part of the United Kingdom.
