Argentina files lawsuit against oil firms operating off Falklands

Argentina said Tuesday it has sued companies with links to an Israeli-British oil project near the Falkland Islands, as Buenos Aires escalates its claim over the territory.

Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war in 1982 over the South Atlantic islands, a British overseas territory that Argentines call Las Malvinas.

The lawsuit targeting oil exploration off the coast of the Falklands comes as President Javier Milei amps up his rhetoric over the islands -- a highly emotive topic for many Argentines.

"The criminal complaint was filed yesterday against the companies involved in the illegal exploration and exploitation of the North Malvinas Basin," Milei's spokesperson Adrian Ravier said.

The lawsuit was filed in Argentine courts against Navitas Petroleum Development & Production Ltd, Navitas Petroleum Atlantic United, Navitas Petroleum LP, IHI Associates Inc, and Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas Ltd, according to a presidential statement.

The Sea Lion oil field involves Britain's Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, which are looking to establish a large-scale operation about 220 kilometers (137 miles) from the Falklands.

Buenos Aires argues that the arrangement breaches Argentine law, which prohibits the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons on its continental shelf without government authorization.

A 2011 law establishes penalties of up to 20 years of disqualification from operating in Argentina and up to 15 years in prison for the offense.

In 2013, Argentina punished Rockhopper with a 20-year disqualification from operating in Argentine territory over its "illegal and clandestine" operations.

Navitas received the same sanction in April 2022.

The Falklands are located about 600 km east of Argentina's southernmost tip and administered by Britain. The 1982 war ended with Argentine surrender after 74 days of conflict that killed 649 Argentines and 255 British troops.

In a speech Thursday, Milei renewed claims to the Falklands after US President Donald Trump said Washington was reviewing its historically neutral position on the territory.

"There are winds of change in the world that are favorable to our claim," Milei said.

The far-right leader's address prompted London to assert its "unshakeable" claim over the islands.

"The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British," British Defence Secretary Wes Streeting wrote on social media on Friday.

The islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in 2013 to remain British.