Argentine President Javier Milei has threatened international legal action against the British government unless it halts oil exploration off the Falkland Islands.
In a social media post, President Milei set a strict two-week deadline for the cancellation of the Sea Lion oil field project, which is being developed off the archipelago.
International arbitration threat
President Milei warned that if operations are not halted within the two-week timeframe, he has instructed Argentina's foreign ministry and legal teams to launch international arbitration proceedings against the United Kingdom.
He described the drilling project as the illegal plundering of Argentine resources and said his government would take the dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea if Britain fails to comply.
The Law of the Sea tribunal is an independent judicial body based in Hamburg, Germany, that oversees the equitable application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The oil companies involved insist they possess valid licences issued by the British government to carry out the offshore work, according to a report by the BBC.
Sea Lion oil field dispute
The Sea Lion field, located roughly 200 miles off the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, is estimated to contain around 1.7 billion barrels of oil.
The exploration project is being operated as a joint venture between British firm Rockhopper Exploration and Israeli company Navitas Petroleum.
Both energy companies are expected to begin commercial extraction of crude oil from the offshore field within two years.
Rising diplomatic tensions
The ultimatum marks a sharp escalation in diplomatic rhetoric between Buenos Aires and London over sovereignty of the South Atlantic archipelago.
Tensions between the two nations over the islands remain sensitive more than 40 years after Britain defeated an Argentine invasion during the 74-day Falklands War in 1982.
The threat follows a fiery speech delivered by President Milei at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week.
Addressing the assembly on the topic of the Falklands, President Milei launched a severe attack on the global body, calling the United Nations a useless organisation that serves only arrogant parasites disguised as well-meaning bureaucrats.
Responding to President Milei's comments at the United Nations, British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting stated that Argentina does not possess the military capability to take the islands by force.
Residents of the Falkland Islands voted overwhelmingly in a 2013 referendum to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8 per cent of voters supporting British sovereignty and only three people voting against.
