The Argentine government has launched legal proceedings to halt oil and gas exploration in fields north of the Falkland Islands, amid an escalating dispute with the United Kingdom, the BBC reported, as cited by Gazeta Express.
In a statement, Buenos Aires said its application to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea sought to block activities it described as having been “illegally” authorised by the United Kingdom.
The move comes two weeks after Argentine President Javier Milei called for the cancellation of the Sea Lion oil field project, a joint venture involving Israeli and British companies.
UK Foreign Office Minister Uma Kumaran criticised what she called Argentina’s “escalating campaign” against companies operating in the Falkland Islands and announced new protective measures for them.
The developments have heightened tensions between the United Kingdom and Argentina over sovereignty of the self-governing British Overseas Territory, known in Argentina as “Las Malvinas,” more than 40 years after British forces expelled Argentine troops who had occupied the islands.
Early last month, Milei also threatened to impose economic sanctions on companies exploiting oil resources near the Falkland Islands.
Kumaran accused the Argentine government of using “economic coercion” against the islands’ residents.
“We will do whatever it takes to support them,” she said in the House of Commons on Tuesday.
