By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-09-04 14:39:46 | Updated at 2026-09-04 16:59:33
2 hours ago
Argentina threatened sanctions against British oil companies involved in the development of oil fields near the Falkland Islands, which are claimed by both nations.
Argentinian President Javier Milei threatened sanctions against companies involved in the development of oil fields around the disputed Falkland Islands on Thursday, and suggested he might gain the support of U.S. President Donald Trump in the dispute.
Trump said last month that he was reviewing the United States’ neutral stance regarding the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic.
“The United States is considering this change in position because it knows that Argentina is a reliable partner,” Milei said in a televised speech, adding that Argentina is “aligned with Western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come.”
The UK has claimed the remote archipelago since 1833, but Argentina, the nation closest to the islands, also claims them, with Buenos Aires calling them “Las Malvinas.”
In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falklands and occupied them for two months, before they were expelled by a British military taskforce sent by then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The fighting led to the deaths of 649 Argentinians and 255 British service personnel.
Milei has criticized the development of the Sea Lion oil project, which is being carried out by British company Rockhopper Exploration and a UK-based subsidiary of Israel’s Navitas Petroleum.
According to the Navitas website, “The Sea Lion field is a significant oil discovery located approximately 220 km [136 miles] to the north of the Falkland Islands.”
First Oil by March 2028
Navitas said that, together with Rockhopper Exploration, all the necessary approvals and funding for the project had been obtained, and they expect the first oil to be pumped by March 2028.
Sea Lion’s activities will be run by Navitas Petroleum Development and Production offices in the UK and Falkland Islands, and production is expected to last for more than 30 years, the company said, according to information about the project on its website.
Following Milei’s speech, Rockhopper and its partner Navitas made a joint statement to the London Stock Exchange on Friday.
“The partnership operates pursuant to valid petroleum licenses lawfully granted to it by the Government of the Falkland Islands, a self-governing UK Overseas Territory, and with the full and ongoing support of the UK Government,” the statement said.
“The partnership believes that the recent developments are not expected to have a material effect on the development activities of the Sea Lion Project, including the timetable for completion of the Project’s development.”
The capital, Port Stanley, with Mount Tumbledown in the background, in the Falkland Islands, known by Argentina as the Islas Malvinas, on March 16, 2026. Ricardo Mazalan/AP
Milei said he would send to Argentina’s Congress an urgent “national sovereignty defense” bill to toughen penalties for what he called unauthorized oil exploration around the islands.
“Argentina will not stand idly by,” he said. “Any further advance on the Malvinas Islands will be considered a violation of our national security.”
He also announced funding for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, in the far south of Argentina, which is about 430 miles from the Falklands.
Milei called the dispute over the islands a national issue, and asked political opponents in Argentina to come together to speak with one voice.
“There are causes that rise above any political difference. The Malvinas is one of them,” he said.
Earlier this week, Trump was asked by a British journalist about whether he would support the UK in a renewed dispute over the Falkland Islands.
The British took back the Falkland Islands pretty strongly, Trump said, adding that the British comported themselves very well.
The British get a big percentage of their oil from the Strait of Hormuz, he said, adding “Your country was not there to help me.”
The UK maintains a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the Falklands, and British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, in an X post on Friday, called London’s commitment to the Falkland Islands unshakeable.
“Milei’s statement overnight tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands,” Streeting said. “The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British.”
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
