Argentina Asks Int Court to Block UK-“Israeli” Falklands Oil Project

By Staff, Agencies

Argentina has asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea [ITLOS] to suspend a British-authorized oil exploration project near the Falkland Islands, escalating its long-running sovereignty dispute with the United Kingdom over the South Atlantic territory.

Buenos Aires is seeking provisional measures against hydrocarbon activity in the Northern Falklands Basin, where Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and "Israel’s" Navitas Petroleum are developing the Sea Lion project. Argentina says the project infringes on its sovereign rights and could further complicate the territorial dispute.

The Argentine government said the request aims to prevent unilateral British exploitation of offshore resources and preserve its rights over the continental shelf.

President Javier Milei has made the Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, a prominent issue for his administration. His government has challenged the Sea Lion project and argued that unilateral resource development violates a UN resolution calling on Argentina and Britain to refrain from actions that could complicate negotiations over the islands.

Milei has also backed legislation that would increase penalties for unauthorized exploitation of natural resources in the disputed territory. The bill remains under consideration by Argentina’s Congress.

The latest legal move follows a September decision by Argentine courts to suspend the project after two organizations petitioned against it, citing alleged environmental damage.

Argentina fought a 10-week war for the Falklands in 1982 before surrendering to Britain, which has controlled the islands ever since. The dispute over sovereignty has simmered for decades without resolution.

London rejects Argentina’s claim to jurisdiction over the islands and maintains that Falkland Islanders have the right to determine their political status, saying they are entitled to develop the territory’s natural resources in accordance with applicable law.

The British government has defended companies operating in the area, saying they are entitled to develop the territory’s natural resources in accordance with applicable law. The islanders voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain a British overseas territory.

Argentina rejects that vote, arguing that the principle of self-determination does not apply to a population established by Britain after its takeover of the islands and displacing its original population, and is preparing legislation to intensify sanctions on companies doing business in the territory.