Argentina makes new move in Falklands row after issuing big threat to UK
Argentina's government has confirmed it will pursue criminal charges against an oil company operating off the coast of the Falkland Islands, continuing the escalation of their long-running sovereignty dispute with the UK.
According to a statement from the Argentine presidency, foreign minister Pablo Quirno will file a criminal complaint against Navitas Petroleum, several of its subsidiaries and their corporate directors.
The government alleges the firms broke Argentine law by holding UK-issued hydrocarbon exploration licences in the North Falkland Basin without approval from Buenos Aires.
The move comes just days after President Javier Milei used a primetime address to declare that the 'winds of change' were now blowing in Argentina's favour over its claim to the islands, which Argentines call Las Malvinas.
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What is the Sea Lion oil project?
Navitas, which is listed in Tel Aviv, holds a 65 per cent stake in Sea Lion, an offshore project in the North Falkland Basin due to begin production in 2028. The field sits roughly 130 miles from the Falklands and is estimated to hold 1.7 billion barrels of oil.
Company chairman Gideon Tadmor, a well-known figure in Israel's energy sector, owns around 9 per cent of Navitas shares, according to LSEG data.
Rockhopper, which also holds a stake in Sea Lion, has yet to comment on Monday's announcement, though both companies have previously insisted the project holds valid licences from the Falkland Islands government.
Navitas itself said last week that Milei's rhetoric was 'not expected to have a material effect on the development activities of the Sea Lion Project, including the timetable for completion of the Project's development.'
What did Javier Milei say about the Falklands?
In his address from the presidential palace in Buenos Aires, Milei told the nation 'the Malvinas are Argentine, historically and legally... there's no debate about that,' branding oil drilling in the territory a 'clear and urgent danger' to Argentine sovereignty.
He dismissed a 2013 referendum, in which 99.8 per cent of islanders voted to remain a British overseas territory, arguing residents had 'no legitimate right to self-determination' because they lived on land 'usurped' by Britain.
Milei also credited US President Donald Trump with shifting momentum toward Argentina's claim, saying Washington was 're-evaluating' its historic position after Sir Keir Starmer failed to back Trump's conflict with Iran.
He announced an emergency decree to build a new naval base in Tierra del Fuego, though stopped short of threatening military action.
Monday's statement doubled down, warning that 'the state will continue to pursue actions deemed necessary to counter any act which breaches the sovereign rights of the Argentine Republic.'
The UK has pushed back firmly.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting insisted Britain's commitment to the Falklands is 'absolute and unshakeable,' adding that Milei's comments say 'more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands.'
The dispute dates back to Argentina's 1982 invasion of the Falklands, which prompted Britain to send a task force 8,000 miles to retake them.
A total of 907 people were killed in the conflict, including 255 British servicemen.
Thomas Bamford