Argentina Looks Again at Falklands; U.S. May Not Back Britain This Time

(SeaPRwire) –   Argentine President Javier Milei has initiated a fresh push to assert control over the Falkland Islands, reviving a long-running disagreement with the United Kingdom regarding the archipelago—one that previously resulted in a war.

“THE MALVINAS WERE, ARE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE ARGENTINE,” Milei stated in Spanish on X last Friday, referring to the islands by their Argentine name.

In a distinct interview with Argentine digital outlet Neura—shared by Milei on Friday—he noted that the nation was taking “every humanly feasible step” to bring the Falklands back under Argentine control.

“Sovereignty is not up for negotiation, but it needs to be managed carefully and thoughtfully,” Milei—an unwavering ally of U.S. President Donald Trump—remarked.

The Falkland Islands are a small archipelago located roughly 300 miles east of Argentina, home to approximately 3,600 residents.

Both the U.K. and Argentina hold historical claims to the islands, and the two nations engaged in a brief yet intense war in 1982 following Argentina’s attempt to take control of them. Argentina ultimately surrendered in June of that year, with at least 900 lives lost in the conflict.

Milei’s renewed drive for Argentine sovereignty over the islands follows reports that the United States is weighing a reassessment of its backing for the U.K.’s historical claim to the archipelago.

U.S.-U.K. relations have been tense ever since European and NATO allies declined to offer assistance to the U.S. and Israel during their war with Iran. Per an internal Pentagon email cited by Reuters, the U.S. is contemplating a review of its diplomatic support for European nations’ “imperial holdings,” like the Falkland Islands, as a reaction.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson stated on Friday that the Falklands’ “sovereignty lies with the U.K.” and that “the islanders’ right to self-determination is of utmost importance.”

“We have clearly and consistently communicated this stance to previous U.S. administrations, and nothing will alter this position,” he further noted.

This stance enjoys cross-party backing in the U.K. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, declared: “The Falklands are British. Period.”

“We fought for them when it counted most and made sacrifices,” she went on to say on X. “And this is because the islanders have explicitly and repeatedly chosen this status.”

The U.S. State Department currently acknowledges the U.K.’s sovereignty over the islands, though Trump’s ties with London have deteriorated in recent months.

Trump seeks to penalize NATO for failing to support the Iran War

A leaked Pentagon memo—drafted by Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s chief policy advisor—highlights a “sense of entitlement” among NATO allies that Trump intends to penalize.

Trump has publicly voiced his frustration with NATO allies over their refusal to join the Iran War, warning them of a “very bad” outcome if they did not assist in opening the Strait of Hormuz. When European nations resisted and refused to deploy warships to the Strait, he labeled NATO “worthless.”

Trump’s comments drew a response from Starmer, who stated he was “tired” of U.K. citizens struggling to pay gas and energy bills ever since the war triggered a global energy crisis, driving up prices internationally.

“No matter the pressure on me or others, no matter the distractions, I will always act in the British national interest in every decision I make—and that’s why I’ve been completely clear: this is not our war, and we will not be pulled into it,” Starmer explained during an April 1 press briefing, defending his choice not to participate in the attack on Iran.

Argentina and the U.K. waged a war over the islands

The conflicting claims to the islands trace back centuries, to an era when the British Empire spanned the globe.

The archipelago—located 8,000 miles from the British Isles—was first settled by the British in the mid-1700s. Britain pulled out during a power struggle with Spain for control of the islands. After Argentina gained independence from Spain in 1816, it asserted sovereignty over the islands and set up a small settlement there in the 1820s.

Ultimately, the British forced Argentina out of the islands in 1833 and established the Falklands as a formal colony.

Argentina never abandoned its claim to the islands, and in 1982, the country’s military junta—led by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri—initiated an attempt to retake them.

Galtieri saw an opportunity when Argentine scrap metal workers occupied an abandoned whaling station on South Georgia—a small British territory east of the Falklands—and raised the Argentine flag. When the workers ignored British orders to depart, Argentina dispatched warships, purportedly to protect the workers. The U.K. responded by sending its own naval ship.

Convinced the U.K. would not respond with military force, and facing a domestic economic crisis and widespread protests, Galtieri ordered a full-scale invasion to retake the islands on April 2, 1982.

The government of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher then deployed a naval task force to reclaim the islands.

A war broke out between Argentina and the U.K. over control of the Falkland Islands, with the U.S. under President Ronald Reagan supporting Britain.

Following a 74-day conflict, Argentina finally surrendered to British forces. Approximately 900 people lost their lives in the war, including 649 Argentines, 255 British soldiers, and three civilian islanders.