Argentina’s Milei threatens sanctions as he refocuses on Falklands

Argentina’s president accused of political machinations as he eyes shifting US stance on Las Malvinas.

President Javier Milei announces tougher sanctions on companies drilling for oil near the Falkland Islands or Las Malvinas as Argentina calls them [File: Pablo Sanhueza/Reuters]

Argentine President Javier Milei has threatened sanctions against companies drilling for oil near the Falkland Islands.

In a televised address on Thursday, Milei said he would seek approval of urgent legislation to toughen penalties for companies operating near the islands without approval from Buenos Aires. Argentina claims sovereignty over the South Atlantic archipelago, which it calls Las Malvinas,

list 1 of 2 Argentina’s Milei threatens sanctions over Falklands oil drilling

list 2 of 2 ‘Falklands are Argentinian’: Celebrations over England win revive old wounds

Milei’s hardened stance is viewed as a bid to revive support for his libertarian presidency, with the Falklands issue one of the few that cuts across political lines.

The sanctions would target the Sea Lion project, a deep-sea oil field about 140 miles (220 kilometres) north of the islands being developed by the UK’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum.

Milei said the sanctions would extend beyond the two firms to suppliers, shareholders and directors and that companies involved could be barred from operating in Argentina altogether.

Argentine war veterans and environmental lawyers have already filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the project, which Milei said violates a United Nations resolution urging Argentina and the UK to avoid unilateral action around the islands.

Britain’s Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, said on Friday that Milei’s statement “tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands”.

“The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British,” he added. “Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable.”

London frequently refers to a 2013 referendum in which the roughly 4,000 islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain British in response to questions over sovereignty.

Rockhopper said in a statement that it does not expect the latest development to have a “material effect” on the Sea Lion project. The company hopes to start drilling this year, with production by 2028.

Milei’s revival of the dispute is seen as a bid to overturn domestic criticism of his relations with United States President Donald Trump, which some have called subservient.

However, the Argentine president hopes to show that the relationship has the potential to reap rewards, with Trump having hinted that Washington could alter its neutral stance on the Falklands to turn it in Argentina’s favour.

Trump recently declined to say whether the US would back the UK in a future Falklands conflict, criticising Britain instead for not doing more to support the US-led bombing campaign against Iran.

A 2013 referendum showed widespread support among Falkland Islanders for remaining a British territory [File: Pablo Porciuncula Brune/AFP]

Britain and Argentina fought the 1982 war over the islands that killed more than 900 people from both sides. The conflict still shapes Argentina’s national identity and remains one of the few issues that unites its otherwise divided political class.

Milei has faced accusations from opposition MPs that he is exploiting the dispute for political gain as his approval ratings slump to 34 percent.

Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Buenos Aires, Teresa Bo, said the timing owes as much to domestic politics as to Washington.

“Milei’s approval ratings have been falling as Argentines feel the impact of his harsh austerity plan,” she said.

“And the Malvinas are one of the few issues capable of uniting Argentines across the political spectrum.”

阿根廷总统因关注美国在马尔维纳斯群岛问题上的立场转变而被指责进行政治阴谋。

阿根廷总统哈维尔·米莱宣布对在福克兰群岛（阿根廷称之为马尔维纳斯群岛）附近钻探石油的公司实施更严厉的制裁。[图片：Pablo Sanhueza/路透社]

阿根廷总统哈维尔·米莱威胁要对在福克兰群岛附近钻探石油的公司实施制裁。

米莱在周四的电视讲话中表示，他将寻求紧急立法批准，以加大对未经布宜诺斯艾利斯批准在岛屿附近运营的公司的处罚力度。阿根廷声称对这片南大西洋群岛拥有主权，并将其称为马尔维纳斯群岛。

阿根廷总理米莱威胁就福克兰群岛石油钻探实施制裁（共2条，第1条）

列表 2/2 “福克兰群岛是阿根廷的”：英格兰获胜的庆祝活动重新揭开了旧伤疤

米莱的强硬立场被视为他试图重振其自由主义总统任期的支持，而福克兰群岛问题是少数几个能够跨越政治界限的问题之一。

制裁将针对海狮油田项目，这是一个位于岛屿以北约 220 公里（140 英里）的深海油田，由英国的 Rockhopper Exploration 公司和以色列的 Navitas Petroleum 公司共同开发。

米莱表示，制裁范围不仅限于这两家公司，还将扩大到供应商、股东和董事，涉事公司甚至可能被完全禁止在阿根廷开展业务。

阿根廷退伍军人和环境律师已经提起诉讼，试图阻止该项目。米莱表示，该项目违反了联合国的一项决议，该决议敦促阿根廷和英国避免在这些岛屿周围采取单方面行动。

英国国防大臣韦斯·斯特里廷周五表示，米莱的声明“更多地反映了阿根廷的国内政治，而不是福克兰群岛的局势”。

“福克兰群岛之所以是英国的，是因为福克兰群岛人民选择成为英国人，”他补充道。“我们对福克兰群岛的承诺是绝对的、不可动摇的。”

伦敦经常提及 2013 年的一次全民公投，当时约 4000 名岛民以压倒性多数投票决定留在英国，以回应有关主权的问题。

Rockhopper在一份声明中表示，预计最新进展不会对Sea Lion项目产生“实质性影响”。该公司希望今年开始钻探，并于2028年投产。

米莱重提这场争端被视为试图扭转国内对其与美国总统唐纳德·特朗普关系的批评，一些人称这种关系是卑躬屈膝的。

然而，阿根廷总统希望表明，这种关系有可能带来回报，因为特朗普曾暗示，华盛顿可能会改变其在福克兰群岛问题上的中立立场，使其向阿根廷倾斜。

特朗普最近拒绝透露美国是否会在未来的福克兰群岛冲突中支持英国，反而批评英国没有为美国领导的对伊朗的轰炸行动提供更多支持。

2013 年的公投显示，福克兰群岛居民普遍支持继续作为英国领土。[图片：Pablo Porciuncula Brune/AFP]

1982年，英国和阿根廷为争夺这些岛屿爆发战争，双方共造成900多人死亡。这场冲突至今仍影响着阿根廷的民族认同，也是为数不多能团结其原本分裂的政治阶层的议题之一。

由于支持率暴跌至 34%，米莱遭到反对党议员的指责，称他正在利用这场争端谋取政治利益。

半岛电视台驻布宜诺斯艾利斯记者特蕾莎·博表示，这一时机的到来既与国内政治有关，也与华盛顿方面有关。

“随着阿根廷民众感受到米莱严苛的紧缩计划的影响，他的支持率一直在下降，”她说。

“而马尔维纳斯群岛问题是少数几个能够将阿根廷各政治派别团结起来的问题之一。”