Argentina Challenges UK Over Falkland Oil Hunt

Tue Sep 29 2026 16:25:35 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Argentina threatens legal steps if the UK continues oil drilling near the Falkland Islands, sparking fresh tension between the two countries.

President Javier Milei has demanded that Britain stop the Sea Lion oil exploration project within two weeks or face international arbitration. The project, run by a joint Israeli‑British venture, seeks 1.7 billion barrels of oil off the Falklands, a territory the UK says belongs to it. Argentina accuses the UK of illegally exploiting resources and threatens to bring the case before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The move revives a 40‑year‑old dispute rooted in the 1982 war, reminding both sides of the fragile diplomatic balance over the islands.

Argentina’s President Javier Milei has issued a stark warning to the UK. He says that if Britain does not halt the Sea Lion oil drilling by the end of next month, Argentina will take the dispute to international courts.

The Sea Lion venture is a partnership between an Israeli company and a British one, aiming to tap 1.7 billion barrels of oil about 130 miles from the Falklands. Though the companies claim they have proper licences, Argentina argues that the surfaces belong to the islands, which it sees as its own territory.

This fight over who owns the Falklands is not new. In 1982, a war broke out when Argentina tried to take control of the islands, which now remain a British overseas territory. President Milei’s threat of legal action is a fresh reminder of how much this old claim still weighs on both sides.

If the UK fails to back down, Argentina says it will ask the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to decide the case. The vessel between the two nations has never been far from a stormy sea in politics.