Argentina threatens oil firms with sanctions as Falkland Islands dispute intensifies
Argentina has threatened sanctions on oil firms that seek to drill around the Falkland Islands as it continues to up the pressure on the British Overseas Territory.
The country's far-right president Javier Milei said in a national address that the "winds of change" favoured Argentina's claim to the islands, which they refer to as Las Malvinas.
He cited a threat by US President Donald Trump to change his country's position on the islands over the UK's lack of support for the war on Iran.
“Recently, President Trump declared that the US is re-evaluating its historic position in relation to the Malvinas,” said Milei.
He said that the UK was on "a path of decline" as a result of immigration.
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"Argentina’s future, however, is flourishing and will prevail," Milei said.
Trump's comments on Monday marked the first time that Washington suggested it could reconsider its position on British sovereignty over the contested territory.
Argentina and the UK both assert sovereignty over the South Atlantic archipelago, which triggered a war between the two countries in 1982.
Although Milei claimed that the Falkland Islands were "legally and historically" Argentinian, a 2013 referendum on the issue overwhelmingly saw the islanders vote to remain under British sovereignty.
A law already exists in Argentina allowing for restrictions of activities of oil companies participating in projects considered unauthorised on the Falkland Islands. Milei referred to the Sea Lion oilfield - where a British and an Israeli firm are due to begin exploration work - as a "clear and present danger".
Milei, who has touted his staunchly pro-Israel credentials, had previously been hesitant in criticising Navitas Petroleum - the Israeli firm that control 65 percent of the Sea Lion enterprise - compared to other firms seeking oil exploration access around the Falkland Islands.
In December, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said he regretted the "difficult feelings" that the involvement of Navitas Petroleum's British subsidiary had caused between the UK and Argentina, citing the "special relations" Israel enjoyed with Milei.
The UK hit back at Milei over the comments, reiterating the country's commitment to the territory.
"This is not the first time Argentine governments have made economic threats against the islanders," said Downing Street, in a statement.
"We are clear that the Falkland Islanders' right of self-determination extends to the right to exploit their own natural resources."
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