By MARTIN ROBINSON, CHIEF REPORTER and ISABELLA MACHIN, REPORTER
Published: 02:16 BST, 4 September 2026 | Updated: 10:07 BST, 4 September 2026
Argentina's president Javier Milei today issued an extraordinary new threat to Britain over the Falklands Islands, using a national TV address to insist his country will 'prevail' and reclaim them.
He warned that sanctions would be imposed on companies involved in offshore oil drilling near the British territory and said its residents have no right to self-determination.
In a sombre speech from his presidential palace in Buenos Aires in the early hours of Friday, the firebrand president, flanked by his cabinet, declared: 'The islands are ours and they were taken from us.'
As he urged Argentinians to unite behind his sovereignty claim, Milei said Donald Trump was bringing 'winds of change' now 'blowing around the world' after the US President hinted he would not back Britain if Argentina invaded the Falklands again because Sir Keir Starmer failed to support his war with Iran.
Milei said Argentina 'will prevail' in its bid to reclaim the Falklands because Britain is 'on a path of decline', beset by 'multiple crises' including social, economic and immigration problems.
'In the world, the winds are blowing favourably for our claim right now. President Trump announced that the US is re-evaluating its historic position regarding the Malvinas', he said.
Mr Milei, who is a year away from an election and tanking in the polls, said Argentina needs to 'recover these islands' and would use 'all the tools of the state: diplomatic, economic, judicial and legal' to impede drilling in the Sea Lion oilfield, which holds 1.7 billion barrels of oil.
He did not mention military action, but announced his government would issue an immediate emergency decree to build a naval base on Tierra del Fuego, the Argentine coastline closest to the Falklands, which have been in British hands for centuries.
'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,' he said.
'The Falklands are our future – we need to recover these islands. There is no other path forward. It is the best way of paying tribute to those who sacrificed their lives for this cause. It is our obligation as a nation to honour their memory.'
Mr Milei's speech came at a time when his own country is suffering a decline in manufacturing, major industrial job losses and mounting household debt.
He is also facing questions over his relationship with tech billionaire and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, who has recently moved to Buenos Aires, sparking wild anti-capitalist protests outside his £8.9million ($12m) mansion.
In a televised address overnight, President Javier Milei today ramped up tensions with the UK over the Falklands, warning sanctions will be imposed for offshore oil drilling
