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Argentina Threatens Legal Action Over Falklands Oil Drilling

4:17 AM ETConfirmed

World Desk

In Short: Falklands War veterans and environmental lawyers in Argentina have also filed a lawsuit to halt the oil project, further escalating tensions between the two nations.

Milei's threat comes in response to the Sea Lion oilfield project, operated by British company Rockhopper Exploration and Israeli firm Navitas Petroleum, which is set to begin extracting oil within two years.

The Sea Lion oilfield, located approximately 130 miles from the Falkland Islands, is estimated to contain 1.7 billion barrels of oil, with production expected to last over 30 years.

In a 2013 referendum, Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% in favor and only three votes against.

Milei argues that the project violates a United Nations resolution calling for both sides to desist from unilateral actions in the islands.

He warned that allowing the project to proceed would incentivize the UK to deepen its occupation of the islands and exploit their resources.

The UK Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, responded by asserting that the Falkland Islands are British and that the UK's commitment to them is 'absolute and unshakeable'.

Streeting emphasized that the Falkland Islanders themselves have chosen to remain British, highlighting the islands' status as a British overseas territory.

Milei's comments come amid reports that the US is reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands, potentially influenced by US President Donald Trump's suggestion that the US might reconsider its historic stance.

In a televised address, Milei cited signs that the US is considering a change in its position on the islands' sovereignty, noting that Argentina is a reliable partner aligned with western values.

He also announced sanctions on firms linked to oil extraction in what he calls 'Argentine territory under British occupation', barring companies involved in Falklands projects from operating in Argentine territory.

Falklands War veterans and environmental lawyers in Argentina have also filed a lawsuit to halt the oil project, further escalating tensions between the two nations.

The dispute over the Falkland Islands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, has persisted since 1982 when Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the territory.

Background

What's confirmed

• Milei said that if the two-week deadline was not met, he had "instructed the Foreign Ministry and legal teams to initiate international arbitration" against the UK over what he called "the illegal plundering of our resources through the Sea Lion Project".

What's still developing

• Argentina to file criminal case against oil company operating in Falklands 'Don't be silly' over Falklands and Irish unity, top Tory tells Trump Burnham to unveil public body to invest in electricity grid RAF Fairford incident 'clearly involves' foreign actor, says US secretary of state Watch: RAF Fairford suspects are bailed, what happens now?
• Argentina's president has threatened to launch a legal challenge against the British government unless it halts oil exploration work off the coast of the Falkland Islands.
• He continued to warn the UK that if the "illegitimate exploitation" of the region didn't end within two weeks, Argentina would take the matter before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
• The move comes soon after Milei roundly criticised the UN in his speech at the General Assembly for failing to act over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands.
• Argentina Threatens UK with Court Action Over Falklands Oil Drilling Argentina will sue the UK unless it suspends an oil drilling project off the coast of the Falkland Islands, the BBC has reported, citing an X post by Argentine president Javier Milei.
• ARGENTINIAN LEADER JAVIER Milei has said that “winds of change” favour his country’s claim to the Falkland Islands, pointing to Washington’s readiness to review its neutrality on his country’s dispute with Britain as a possible game-changer.
• “The Falklands issue serves Trump’s purpose of pressuring the United Kingdom to comply with his demands regarding NATO funding and cooperation in the war in Iran,” Tomas Mugica, director of the Center for International Studies at the Catholic University of Argentina, told AFP.
• The fate of the islands hit headlines again in recent days, with US President Donald Trump threatening to wade into the dispute and a British-Israeli oil project near the islands causing anger in Argentina.
• Argentina players held up a banner saying “The Falklands are Argentine” after beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final earlier this year.
• “Recently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,” he said, using the Argentinian name for the islands.

Sources

• BBClink
• Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.comlink
• Thejournallink
• The Guardianlink
• Independentlink
• Haaretzlink
• Thenewslink
• Trtworldlink
• Al Jazeeralink
• NBC Newslink
• Turkiyetodaylink
• Theelderslink
• Informatlink
• WarpBeat — background on OpenAI's AI Breaches Australian Health Website, Prompting Legal Action link
• NewsMind Global — video link