With the Falkland Islands back at the centre of an international row, Argentina’s President Javier Milei has doubled down on his country’s claim to the territory and vowed to punish any oil companies operating in surrounding waters.
Mr Milei delivered the warning in a national address as tensions rise over the British overseas territory, after US President Donald Trump suggested the United States would not necessarily support the UK in any future conflict over the islands.
Mr Milei said: “I want to be quite clear with everybody. The Falklands are Argentinian. Historically and legally.
“There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.
“The islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.”
Arguing the UK is dealing with “multiple crises on multiple fronts”, he said he would sign decrees imposing sanctions on any companies involved in oil production in the area.
He singled out the Sea Lion oilfield — owned by an Israeli and a British firm, with production expected to begin in 2028 — describing it as a “clear and present danger” to Argentina’s sovereignty claims.
“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,” he said.
“Something that has never happened before,” he added.
The speech also came at a difficult political moment for Mr Milei. His approval ratings have fallen as he approaches a re-election campaign due just over a year from now.
Polling indicates roughly 34% of Argentines back his sweeping austerity measures and deregulation agenda.
Unveiling plans for a naval base in Tierre del Fuego, at Argentina’s southern tip, Mr Milei said Mr Trump and the US were “assessing their historical position” on the Falkland Islands.
Donald Trump said the US is reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands
In Argentina, the South Atlantic archipelago is widely known as Las Malvinas.
The dispute has long turned on competing claims of sovereignty and the question of the islanders’ wishes. In a 2013 referendum, Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% in favour and three votes against.
British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said today the Falkland Islands “are British” and stressed that the UK’s commitment to them was “absolute and unshakeable”.
“The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British,” Mr Streeting said on social media.
Mr Trump said on Monday that the US is reviewing its position on the Falkland Islands, as reports suggest Washington is threatening to oppose Britain’s sovereignty unless the UK increases defence spending.
In an interview yesterday with GB News, Mr Trump criticised the UK for what he described as insufficient military support for his war with Iran, and he declined to say whether he would back Britain in any renewed dispute with Argentina.
Recalling the last major conflict over the islands, he said the 1982 war “was a long time ago”.
“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, said.
Mr Milei, who has sought to align closely with the Trump administration, framed Washington’s review as confirmation that his approach is paying off.
“The United States is considering this change of position because it knows that Argentina has a reliable partner,” he said.
Sarah Rogers, a senior official in the US State Department, wrote on X that “exciting things are happening in the Western Hemisphere” alongside a photo of her and Mr Milei ahead of his address.
The United States has historically maintained formal neutrality on sovereignty, though it supported Britain’s campaign to retake the islands after Argentina’s 1982 invasion.
Argentina players held up a banner saying ‘The Falklands are Argentine’ at the World Cup
The dispute has also spilled into sport and popular culture. Earlier this year, Argentina players held up a banner reading “the Falklands are Argentine” after beating England 2-1 in the World Cup semi-final.
The Falklands War began when Argentine forces invaded the islands in April 1982, prompting then-British prime minister Margaret Thatcher to dispatch a naval task force to reclaim them.
The war left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders dead.
