Washington's stance
US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said on Thursday that Washington's priority is to lower tensions between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Malvinas Islands, and he avoided taking an official position on the sovereignty dispute. In an interview with GB News, when asked whether the US would assist the UK in any action in the region, Waltz said that decision belongs to Donald Trump. He acknowledged that Argentina is a great friend, but also noted the special relationship with the UK, and said the US would seek to de-escalate before reaching that point.[S1][S2][S3]
Waltz also referred to the first in-person meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Andy Burnham during the UN General Assembly, expressing support for the bilateral relationship. He said that regardless of each country's politics, the relationship must always work. When pressed on potential military assistance to London, Waltz declined to elaborate, saying he would leave any support beyond de-escalation to the White House and the president.[S1][S2][S3]
Diplomatic escalation
The remarks followed a diplomatic escalation on Wednesday, when the Foreign Office summoned Argentine Ambassador to London Mariana Plaza to convey that Buenos Aires's offensive compromises Argentina's reliability as a UK partner. Parliamentary Under-Secretary Uma Kumaran called the decision to seek international arbitration to halt the Sea Lion oil development the latest attempt to undermine the rights and livelihoods of the people of the Malvinas. Argentina's Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism, stating that submitting a controversy to an impartial international tribunal is the most responsible act a state can perform.[S1][S2][S4]
In recent weeks, the Argentine government sent more than 180 notifications to oil-related companies in the islands and filed at least three criminal complaints against ten companies and their executives. This week, Buenos Aires notified London of the start of arbitration proceedings under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with a two-week deadline to halt the Sea Lion project or face a lawsuit before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg. The deadline expires in mid-October.[S1][S2][S4]
The Sea Lion project
The disputed oil field is located about 220 kilometers (137 miles) north of the archipelago, in the North Falkland Basin. Israeli company Navitas Petroleum controls 65% of the stake; British firm Rockhopper Exploration holds the remaining 35%. Estimated reserves amount to 1.7 billion barrels, with first production planned for the first quarter of 2028 and a horizon of 200,000 barrels per day by 2030.[S1][S4]
Rockhopper CEO Sam Moody reaffirmed in the semiannual report presented to the London Stock Exchange that first oil remains targeted for the first quarter of 2028 and that the company enters the second half of the year fully funded until production starts. Rockhopper raised USD 180 million through a share placement and another USD 20 million through an open offer that exceeded 118% of available subscriptions. Moody described the actions of the Milei government as a period of increased media and political attention without impact on the schedule, and praised the continuous and firm support of the UK government and island authorities. This is the company's first regulatory document to explicitly mention Argentine threats and formally dismiss their effect on the project.[S1]
