Government initiates sanctions against 45 entities
The Argentine government has begun sanction procedures against 45 subjects, including individuals and companies, for allegedly violating the prohibition on hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation in the Falkland Islands without proper authorization. The decision, made by instruction of President Javier Milei, was announced by the Presidential Office on September 4, 2026, and is being carried out by the Foreign Ministry.[S1][S2]
The procedures target not only companies directly involved in oil activities on the continental shelf but also their shareholders and firms that provided services to enable these operations. The legal basis is Article 2 of Law No. 26,659, which prohibits such activities without state authorization in the area of the islands.[S1][S3]
Government reaffirms sovereignty claim
In an official statement, the government reiterated that the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands, along with their maritime and insular spaces, are Argentine 'by history and by right,' and that this status does not depend on who occupies them. The statement criticized the British occupation for having 'severely deepened its actions' by advancing the extraction of natural resources.[S1][S3]
The measure was described as 'an act of justice' for those who fought and gave their lives for the nation, and as a clear message to the world that Argentina will never renounce its sovereignty over the islands. The announcement follows a national broadcast by Milei on Thursday, which included a decree to expedite sanctions against British oil companies and another to fund a naval base in Tierra del Fuego.[S1][S3][S4]
