Argentine leader says oil firms working off Falklands face sanctions - BBC News BBC Homepage Skip to content Accessibility Help Your account Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds More menu More menu Search BBC Home News Sport Earth Reel Worklife Travel Culture Future Music TV Weather Sounds Close menu BBC News Menu Home Climate World UK Business Tech Science Entertainment & Arts Health In Pictures More BBC Verify Newsbeat World Africa Asia Australia Europe Latin America Middle East US & Canada Argentine leader says oil firms working off Falklands face sanctions Image source, Reuters By Chris Graham Published 17 minutes ago Argentina's President Javier Milei has said he will sanction oil companies working off the Falklands as he reiterated the country's claim on the British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. In a national address, Milei said the "winds of change" favoured Argentina's claim to the Falklands, pointing to Washington's readiness to review its neutrality on the dispute. Milei said the Sea Lion oilfield, where a British and an Israeli firm are due to begin exploration work, was a "clear and present danger". More than 40 years after the armed conflict over the territory, the sovereignty of the archipelago remains hotly disputed between Britain and Argentina. BBC News is seeking comment from the UK government on Milei's statement. It reiterated this week that Falkland islanders "are British with a right to determine their own future". The Sea Lion oilfield contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil, and production is expected to begin in 2028. "If we do not act swiftly in a few months, they will have the material capacity to access the oil that lies underneath our sea – something that has never happened before," Milei said. It is not yet clear how or to what extent the sanctions will be imposed or tightened. In Argentina, a current law already allows for restrictions of activities of oil c