The Argentinian government has begun legal action to stop oil and gas exploration north of the Falkland Islands, deepening its dispute with the United Kingdom. In a statement, Buenos Aires said its request, lodged with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, aims to block activity that the UK has authorised “illegally”.
The move follows a fortnight after Argentinian President Javier Milei called for the Sea Lion oilfield project to be scrapped. The project is a joint venture between Israeli and British companies, and the new filing marks a sharp escalation in the row over the islands.
Argentina’s case before the international tribunal
The Argentinian government says the marine environment of the disputed maritime areas is protected by international law. Its application, according to the government, “seeks to preserve Argentina’s sovereign rights over its continental shelf and prevent activities authorised unilaterally and illegally by the United Kingdom”.
Foreign Affairs Minister Pablo Quirno said in a post on X that the government was asking the tribunal to make a number of orders against the UK. These include halting the issuing of new exploration permits.
The tribunal is an independent judicial body based in Hamburg. It is responsible for applying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea fairly. The dispute will therefore be considered by that body.
London rejects the claim and defends the licences
The UK government maintains that the Sea Lion project is lawful, that it lies on the Falkland Islands shelf and that it is regulated by the islands’ government. The Falkland Islands government grants exploration licences, but those licences must be signed off by the UK Foreign Secretary.
Foreign Office minister Uma Kumaran criticised what she called an “escalating campaign” from Argentina against companies operating in the Falklands. She accused the Argentinian government of “economic coercion” against the islands’ people. Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, she said: “We will do whatever it takes to support them.”
Kumaran said the tribunal application “does not invalidate licenses issued by the Falkland Islands government, alter the islands’ regulatory authority, or require lawful hydrocarbon development activities to cease”. Two companies, Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum, have insisted they hold valid licences issued by Britain.
Officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said the UK would engage with the tribunal but firmly resist Argentina’s claim. They said the aim was not to escalate the dispute but to respond firmly and defend what Britain sees as legitimate economic activity.
Protections for businesses amid sanctions threats
Officials said the government is introducing measures under the Protection of Trading Interests Act. The measures are intended to shield firms from any extra-territorial effect of Argentine laws, following Milei’s earlier threat to impose economic sanctions on companies working oil fields near the Falklands. Officials also hoped to reassure businesses worried about retaliation from Argentina.
Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband said Argentina’s attempts to intimidate businesses and individuals were unacceptable. He said companies should be free to make lawful commercial decisions without the threat of political coercion.
The row also has a wider political dimension. Late last month, Milei criticised the United Nations in his General Assembly speech, accusing it of failing to act over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. He described the UN as “a useless organisation” that serves “arrogant parasites dressed up as well-intentioned bureaucrats”. Kumaran later described his remarks in New York as “inflammatory”.
Argentina lost the 1982 conflict but has never given up its claim to the islands, which it calls Las Malvinas. Successive governments have pursued that claim with varying degrees of aggression and diplomacy. UK officials believe the current Argentine leadership is deliberately picking a fight ahead of elections next year.
