Argentina launches sanctions procedure against 45 individuals and companies over oil exploration near the Falklands
Argentina has launched a procedure to impose sanctions on 45 individuals and companies suspected of unauthorized exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons in the Falkland Islands. Buenos Aires calls them the Malvinas Islands and says Argentine sovereignty has been violated.
Who the procedures concern
As Anadolu Agency reports, the legal measures concern not only oil companies operating on the islands, but also their shareholders and businesses that provided services to support these operations.
Argentina's President Javier Milei's office stated that those who seek to profit by violating the country's sovereignty will “face the full force of the law.” The Argentine government also reiterated its claims to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, and the associated maritime and island areas, calling them Argentine “by history and law.”
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Sea Lion and London's response
Earlier, Milei stated that the Sea Lion offshore oil project near the Falkland Islands poses an imminent threat. According to the source, the project is operated by Britain's Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum. The Argentine president claimed that without swift action, foreign entities could take possession of oil reserves beneath the sea.
London called the sanctions steps domestic policy and said it remained committed to the islands. Navitas Petroleum and its partners said they expect to continue drilling under British licences. The Falkland Islands are a British Overseas Territory, and the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom has intensified as offshore projects approach active drilling.
