Argentine groups representing war veterans and environmental activists announced a lawsuit on Tuesday to halt the British-Israeli "Sea Lion" oil project off the northern coast of the disputed Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, according to the Buenos Aires Times.
The plaintiffs — La Asociación Argentina de Abogados/as Ambientalistas (AAdeAA) and the Centro de Ex Combatientes Islas Malvinas La Plata (CECIM) — argue that the project, promoted by British firm Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum, violates a United Nations resolution stating that unilateral actions must be avoided while a territorial or sovereignty dispute is ongoing. They also say the companies are proceeding without an environmental impact assessment before Argentine authorities or the authorisations required by national legislation.
Environmental lawyer Enrique Viale said in a statement that the lawsuit seeks to ensure the companies "refrain from starting and/or continuing the works, preparatory activities, financing, and any other relevant intervention linked to the enterprise, as well as from initiating the extraction and exploitation of hydrocarbons." The legal challenge was filed with the Federal Court of Río Grande, according to the Buenos Aires Times.
The project aims to establish large-scale oil exploitation on the Argentine continental shelf, 220 kilometres from the Malvinas, the plaintiffs said. According to the firms involved, drilling is set to begin in early 2027, with first oil production scheduled for 2028. Navitas, which operates Sea Lion, holds a 65 percent stake in the project, with the remainder held by Rockhopper.
The lawsuit came one day after US President Donald Trump told reporters on Monday that he would not rule out reviewing Washington's traditionally neutral position on the South Atlantic archipelago. "I always review every position. That's just one of many," Trump said.
Argentina's President Javier Milei welcomed Trump's comments, posting to X on Tuesday that he will speak on the "SACRED issue for Argentines: the Malvinas cause" in a televised nationwide address on Thursday night. In his post, Milei asked: "What cause more important and strategic for the vital interests of the Nation could there be than the Malvinas cause?" He also told El Observador radio station that "yesterday [Monday] something very significant happened regarding the most important and sacred cause we Argentines have," as reported by the Buenos Aires Times.
The Malvinas question remains painful and of high sensitivity in Argentina, following a diplomatic and historical claim that has persisted since Argentine forces unsuccessfully attempted to seize control of the islands in 1982. That conflict ended with Argentina's surrender after 74 days of fighting and left 649 Argentines, 255 Britons, and three islanders dead.
The dispute has also surfaced in sports. After the World Cup semi-final against England in July, some Argentine footballers held up a banner saying "Las Malvinas are Argentine" after defeating their long-time rivals. A spokesperson for the British prime minister's Downing Street office responded that "the World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are."
Last year, Argentina's Foreign Ministry condemned the decision to move ahead with the Sea Lion project, saying it was being carried out without the authorisation of its national authorities and arguing that the unilateral exploitation of natural resources in an area subject to a sovereignty dispute runs contrary to previous UN resolutions. The companies say approval was granted by the island authorities.
The Argentine groups' lawsuit argues that, although the project is being carried out in a British-controlled area, a decision by local courts could affect its progress.