Falklands oil firms face Argentina sanctions

Argentine President Javier Milei announced sanctions on companies linked to oil extraction around the Falkland Islands and said a US review of its stance on the sovereignty dispute could favor Argentina.

In a televised address on September 3, Milei said Argentina would not “stand idly by” over a British-Israeli oil project near the South Atlantic archipelago, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas and Britain controls as the Falklands.

Milei said companies involved in Falklands projects “behind the back of the Argentine government” would be barred from operating in Argentine territory. He described the oil work as taking place in “Argentine territory under British occupation,” reflecting Argentina’s position in the long-running sovereignty dispute.

The project is promoted by British company Rockhopper and Israeli company Navitas. Argentine Falklands War veterans and environmental lawyers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday seeking to halt it.

Milei said the project violated a United Nations resolution calling on both sides to avoid unilateral actions in the islands. He said allowing it would encourage Britain to deepen its occupation of the islands and exploitation of resources.

The dispute has gained new attention after US President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington was reviewing its position on the Falklands. In an interview with GB News on Thursday, Trump criticised London’s lack of military support for the war with Iran and declined to say whether he would back Britain in a potential new dispute with Argentina.

Milei presented the US review as a vindication of his support for Trump. He said the United States was considering a change because it knew Argentina was “a reliable partner.”

Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the islands in 1982 after Argentine forces invaded and then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher sent a naval task force to retake them. The war left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders dead. Islanders voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British.

Milei’s address came as polls show support for his cost-cutting and deregulation policies at about 34 percent, a little over a year before he seeks re-election.