Argentina\u2019s president has warned that the country could take \u201cmatters into our own hands\u201d over the Malvinas sovereignty dispute<\/p>\n
Britain is capable of defending the Falkland Islands militarily if Argentina attempts to take control of the disputed territory, UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting has said.
\nThe UK has administered the South Atlantic archipelago, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, since 1833. Buenos Aires maintains that the islands are part of its own territory.The two countries fought a war over the islands in 1982 after Argentine forces seized them and Britain sent a naval task force to retake them. Residents overwhelmingly voted to remain British territory in a 2013 referendum, which Argentina disputes.
\nThe decades-old dispute has recently flared up again, with Argentine President Javier Milei stepping up the country\u2019s sovereignty claim and condemning British-approved oil development around the islands as unlawful.The renewed tensions come as US President Donald Trump has cast doubt on whether America would come to Britain\u2019s aid in another conflict over the territory. Milei raised the issue at the UN General Assembly in New York this week, pointing to the Sea Lion offshore oil project and warning that Argentina could \u201ctake matters into our own hands\u201d if the UN fails to act.
\nIn an interview with The Sun on Sunday published on Saturday, Streeting dismissed Milei\u2019s position as the \u201csame old bogus propaganda,\u201d arguing that \u201cthe Argentinians lack the ability\u201d to seize the archipelago.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have the ability to defend the Falkland Islands,\u201d he said. Asked if Britain can protect the islands militarily if Argentina sends warships, Streeting said yes.
\nMilei has stepped up pressure over the dispute, launching sanctions proceedings against companies and individuals linked to Sea Lion and pledging additional funding for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego to strengthen Argentina\u2019s presence in the South Atlantic.
\nMilei has seized on the possibility of a shift in Washington\u2019s position, saying in a televised address earlier this month that \u201cwinds of change\u201d around the world favor Argentina\u2019s sovereignty claim.
\nThe US recognizes Britain\u2019s de facto administration of the islands but has remained neutral on the competing sovereignty claims.
\nIn April, however, an internal Pentagon email reportedly outlined options for punishing NATO members that the US says failed to support the war against Iran. According to Reuters, one option is reassessing US diplomatic support for Britain\u2019s position on the Falklands.<\/p>\n
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Trump has since questioned whether America would help Britain in another conflict over the islands, citing London\u2019s refusal to support the US against Iran.
\n\u201cYour country was not there to help me,\u201d the president said when asked whether the US would come to Britain\u2019s aid, noting that then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer told him Britain had no ships available. Trump called the response \u201cpretty sad.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Argentina\u2019s president has warned that the country could take \u201cmatters into our own hands\u201d over the Malvinas sovereignty dispute Britain is capable of defending the Falkland Islands militarily if Argentina…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38942,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-environment","category-politics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t