Argentina’s President Javier Milei has threatened that the United Kingdom must halt the Sea Lion oilfield exploration project within two weeks or face a legal challenge.
The Sea Lion project, a joint venture between Israeli firm Navitas Petroleum and British company Rockhopper Exploration, sits roughly 130 miles from the Falkland Islands and could yield up to 1.7 billion barrels of oil. Both companies maintain that the licences they hold are validly issued by the British government.
Milei has labelled the venture a clear and present danger and accused the UK of illegal plundering of Argentine resources. He warned that if the two‑week deadline is missed, the Argentine foreign ministry would launch international arbitration and present the case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg.
The sovereignty dispute dates back to 1982 when British forces expelled Argentine troops from the islands, which Argentina calls Las Malvinas. The 1982 war left 255 British soldiers dead and 649 Argentine troops killed.
The UK has dismissed Argentine claims as unrealistic, stating that a military takeover of the islands is not feasible. The latest standoff underscores the enduring tension between the two countries over the territories.
