Argentina Reiterates Its Claims to the Falkland Islands and Announces New Naval Base

The President of Argentina reiterated his country’s claims to the Falkland Islands and announced sanctions against companies operating on the islands without Argentina’s permission.

Javier Milei also announced the establishment of a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, which is located near the islands.

He also announced sanctions against companies planning to drill for oil off the coast of the Falkland Islands without permission from the Argentine government.

“We will use all diplomatic, economic, and legal tools to deter state and non-state actors who encroach on our sovereignty,” Milei stated in a televised address to the nation.

The basis for the measures he announced was the Sea Lion project, which is being promoted by companies from the United Kingdom and Israel.

The project involves oil extraction on the continental shelf approximately 220 kilometers north of the disputed archipelago.

British Defence Minister Wes Streeting criticized the Argentine president’s statements.

“The Falkland Islands belong to the United Kingdom because their residents chose to be British,” he noted, referring to the 2013 referendum in which a majority of the islands’ residents voted to retain their status as a British Overseas Territory.

Milei’s statement came after U.S. President Donald Trump cast doubt on the previous support for the United Kingdom in the dispute over the Falkland Islands.

The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, have been under British administration since 1833.

In 1982, hostilities broke out between the two countries over the archipelago, resulting in the deaths of about 900 people.

In 2013, the islands’ residents voted in a referendum to retain their British status. However, Argentina does not recognize the results of this referendum.