Argentina Threatens UK Legal Action Over Falklands Oil Project Involving Israeli Firm

Argentine President Javier Milei has threatened legal action against the United Kingdom over an oil drilling project in the Falkland Islands, which also involves an Israeli company. The dispute escalates tensions between the UK and Argentina concerning sovereignty over the archipelago, known in Argentina as "Las Malvinas." Milei stated that if the demand is not met within two weeks, he has "instructed the Foreign Ministry and legal teams to initiate international arbitration" against Britain for what he called the "illegal plunder of our resources through the Sea Lion project."

He warned that if the "illegitimate exploitation" of the region does not cease, Argentina will bring the matter before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an independent judicial body based in Hamburg responsible for enforcing the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The "Sea Lion" oil field, located approximately 209 kilometers from the Falkland Islands, is estimated to contain about 1.7 billion barrels of oil. Two companies, the British firm Rockhopper Exploration and the Israeli company Navitas Petroleum, are expected to begin oil production from the field within two years.

In a 2013 referendum, island residents overwhelmingly voted to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% voting in favor. In 1982, Argentine forces landed on the Falklands to assert a territorial claim, sparking a 74-day war that resulted in the deaths of 255 British military personnel, three island residents, and 649 Argentine military personnel.