The symbolic move comes as Argentina escalates its claim over the British-administered territory.
Published On ۱۷ Sep ۲۰۲۶
An Argentinian judge has ordered the suspension of a British-Israeli oil project near the Falkland Islands in a purely symbolic move as Argentina escalates its claim over the British-administered territory.
Wednesday’s interim ruling issued by a court in Argentina’s southernmost province, Tierra del Fuego, follows a lawsuit filed by ۱۹۸۲ war veterans and environmental lawyers earlier this month.
Recommended Stories
list of ۳ itemsend of list
The plaintiffs sought to block Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum from the Sea Lion oilfield, located about ۲۲۰km (۱۳۷ miles) from the islands.
The judge ordered the companies to “refrain from initiating, pursuing, carrying out or having carried out any material actions” that would involve drilling, installing infrastructure or extracting hydrocarbons, according to a ruling seen by the AFP news agency.
Additionally, the suspension applies “until such time as the environmental impact assessment procedure has been conducted before the national authority competent in environmental matters”.
The judge gave the parties ۱۰ days to provide information, including details about the status of the project, its contractors and its financiers.
President Javier Milei’s administration has also taken legal action against the project, arguing it violates a United Nations resolution calling for both sides to desist from unilateral actions in the islands until their dispute is resolved.
The court order comes just a day after Argentina announced it would file further legal complaints against companies exploring for oil near the islands, intensifying its campaign against businesses operating in the British overseas territory.
Britain and Argentina fought a brief but bitter ۱۰-week war in ۱۹۸۲ over the South Atlantic islands, known to Argentines as the Malvinas.
The ۱۹۸۲ war ended with an Argentinian surrender after ۷۴ days of conflict that killed ۶۴۹ Argentines and ۲۵۵ British troops, as well as three Falkland Islanders.
Buenos Aires has doubled down on its claim over the Falkland Islands after US President Donald Trump said Washington was open to reviewing its historically neutral stance on the territory.
London maintains the islands are British and rejects the jurisdiction of Argentinian courts in the Falklands.
The islanders themselves voted overwhelmingly in ۲۰۱۳ to remain British.
But Argentina rejects that outcome, arguing that the principle of self-determination does not apply to a population it considers implanted by Britain after ۱۸۳۳.
