The United Kingdom reaffirms its sovereignty over the Malvinas after Javier Milei revived Argentina’s claim

“This threat is not harmless,” continued the South American president. His speech took place within the framework of Argentina’s claim against the Sea Lion oil project, promoted by the British company Rockhopper and the Israeli Navitas in waters 220 kilometers north of the Islands.

Milei said that he will “toughen sanctions and penalties against companies linked to unauthorized operations” and announced the creation of a naval base in the Patagonian province of Tierra del Fuego (south).

Due to the exchange of statements, Rockhopper shares fell 7% on the London Stock Exchange, although it subsequently managed to moderate its losses.

In his speech, Milei added that the islanders, since they constitute “a population established in a usurped territory, do not have a legitimate right to self-determination.”

The dispute over the sovereignty of the islands is officially recognized by a 1965 UN resolution, which urges both nations to resolve it through diplomatic channels and not to adopt unilateral decisions.

Until now, the United States, like most Western countries, recognizes that the United Kingdom de facto administers that archipelago, but does not strictly pronounce on its sovereignty, claimed by Argentina.

On Thursday, in an interview with the British network GB News, Trump again criticized London’s lack of military support in his war against Iran and refused to confirm whether he would support the United Kingdom in the event of a new conflict with Argentina.

“The Malvinas issue serves Trump to put pressure on the United Kingdom, to comply with his demands in relation to NATO financing, with collaboration in the war in Iran,” Tomás Mugica, political scientist and director of the Center for International Studies at the Argentine Catholic University, told AFP on Thursday.

“Many times Trump’s rhetorical positions, which are very strong, do not correspond to the diplomatic and military initiatives that follow him,” he added.

“If there is a conflict, Trump gets involved,” said Juan Battaleme, a political scientist and former Secretary of International Affairs for Defense in the Milei government until December 2025.

Argentina and the United Kingdom dispute the sovereignty of the southern archipelago over which they fought a war in 1982. This ended with the surrender of the dictatorial Argentine government after 74 days of conflict in which 649 Argentines and 255 British died.

More than four decades later, the issue is highly sensitive for Argentines, and even broke out during the 2026 World Cup, when players from the Albiceleste team displayed a banner with the phrase “The Malvinas are Argentine” after beating England 2-1 in the semifinals.