By Jeremy Gordon
Ownership battle over the disputed islands is heating up for the first time in over 40 years.
Falkland Islands capital Stanley. Victor. CC BY 2.0.
A centuries-old conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands is threatening to flare up after recent rhetoric from U.S. President Donald Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei. Plans for a deep-sea oil project funded by U.K. and Israeli companies have sparked anger from Argentina’s right-wing president, who is up for reelection in October 2027. On Sept. 4, Milei ordered a criminal investigation into 45 entities that he claims are “linked to the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons” around the islands. This is seen as a major step toward reasserting Argentine claims over the British-administered islands.
The Falklands have a long and tumultuous history of ownership disputes, dating back to the 17th century. They are believed to have been uninhabited before their first recorded landing in 1690 by English naval captain John Strong. After that, they were settled at various times by the French and Spanish, though Britain reasserted control in 1833 and has administered the islands ever since. Argentina claims that it inherited sovereignty over the islands when it gained independence from Spain in 1816 and that the British assertion of control was an illegal colonial act.
In 1982, Argentina invaded and occupied the islands, which sparked a 74-day war with the U.K. that left 649 Argentine and 255 British troops dead. Argentina surrendered and, though it continued to press sovereignty claims, has not attempted to reoccupy the land since. In a 2013 referendum, Falkland voters backed remaining under British rule with 99.8% support, though Argentina rejected the results.
In recent days, President Milei has chosen to reignite the ownership battle. Milei is a right-wing populist and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. He made an appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in 2025, where he gifted Elon Musk the red chainsaw Musk famously wielded while shouting, “chainsaw for bureaucracy.” But recently, Milei has been unpopular in his own country. His policies of deregulation and cutting federal spending have faced backlash, earning him an approval rating that hovers below 40%. That unpopularity may have sparked a need to ramp up the long-simmering conflict over the islands.
The islands are recently in the process of ramping up oil production through a joint U.K.-Israeli deep-sea oil project called Sea Lion. Milei has labeled this a clear and present danger to his country, arguing it exploits resources he believes belong to Argentina. Milei has said that “any further advance on the Malvinas Islands will be considered a violation of our national security.” The U.K. company Rockhopper Exploration and Israeli company Navitas Petroleum, which led the project, brushed off the threats and vowed to press ahead.
For a long time, Argentina’s primary international backer of its claim over the Falklands has been China. But Milei’s friendship with President Trump has provided a boost at a very fortuitous time. Trump is currently angry at the U.K. over its lack of NATO spending and lack of support for the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. In August 2026, he claimed that the U.S. may be willing to change its long-held position of neutrality when it comes to recognizing claims to the islands. In September, he cast doubts on whether the U.K. would be capable or willing to defend the islands militarily if Argentina attempted to retake them.
The unprecedented support from Trump, at a time when the U.S. is eschewing traditional partnerships and long-held stances left and right, could be a boon to Milei’s reelection hopes. Sovereignty over the Falklands has long been a sensitive national issue in Argentina. A nationalist conflict with a foreign power could be just what Milei needs to reverse his lagging popularity.
Jeremy Gordon
Jeremy is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University studying Creative Writing. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's in Criminology and Criminal Justice and worked for four years as an Investigative Specialist with the Public Defender Service for DC.