Argentina’s government said on Monday it will file criminal charges against the Israeli energy company Navitas Petroleum and its executives for operating in the Falkland Islands.
The move follows remarks on Friday by the Argentina president, Javier Milei, who vowed to sanction oil companies drilling in the British overseas territory as he stepped up the South American nation’s sovereignty claims.
According to a statement from the presidency, foreign minister Pablo Quirno will file the criminal complaint against several Navitas subsidiaries and partners operating in the territory, along with their corporate directors.
Navitas did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
The government alleges the firms violated Argentinian law by holding hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation licenses issued by the UK in the North Falkland Basin.
Milei last week singled out the Sea Lion offshore oil project as he announced measures targeting companies involved in Falklands oil and gas activities, with penalties potentially extending to shareholders, directors and suppliers.
The Sea Lion field is operated by Tel Aviv-listed Navitas Petroleum, which holds a 65% stake.
Gideon Tadmor, a prominent figure in Israel’s energy sector and the company’s chair, holds about 9% of its shares, according to LSEG data.
Last week Milei said in a televised address that “winds of change” favourable to Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands are blowing around the world, after Donald Trump had earlier suggested he was reconsidering US support for Britain’s sovereignty over the South Atlantic islands.
Officially, the US takes a neutral position on who has rightful sovereignty over the islands, which Britain first claimed in the late 17th century and has held almost continually since 1833. In practice, Washington recognises British administration over the territory, which was the subject of an Argentinian invasion and subsequent military conflict with Britain in 1982.
In response to a question about whether he was reviewing the US’s position over the Falklands, Trump last week said: “I always review every position – that’s just one of many”.
Milei portrayed Trump’s response as a “threat” that was “not innocuous”.
“The US is considering this change of position because it knows that Argentina is a reliable partner, aligned with western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come,” Milei said. He also said companies developing oil “behind the back of the Argentine government” would be barred from doing business in Argentina.
Ministers in the UK immediately condemned Milei’s comments, saying the Falklands would remain British for as long as the people who live there wanted them to.
Speculation about a US switch of allegiance over the islands has been swirling for months.
In April, a leaked Pentagon email suggested reviewing Britain’s claim in response to its lack of support for Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran. Trump is also unhappy with what he says is the small amount spent on defence by Nato alliance countries.
A switch of US position would represent a psychological blow to Britain’s sovereignty over the Falklands.
After Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, the decision by Margaret Thatcher’s government to dispatch a naval taskforce that eventually resulted in their recovery was bolstered by staunch diplomatic support from Ronald Reagan, who came down on Britain’s side, even though Washington was also an ally of the Argentinian ruling military junta.
Additional reporting by Robert Tait and Tiago Rogero
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/08/argentina-criminal-charges-navitas-petroleum-falkland-islands-drilling
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