Milei has given the UK two weeks to halt the Sea Lion oil project near the Falkland Islands, warning that Argentina will pursue international legal action if work continues. He says he has instructed Argentina’s Foreign Ministry and legal teams to begin arbitration and may take the case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

The project, about 130 miles from the islands, is being developed by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum, which say they hold valid licences issued by the Falkland Islands. The field is estimated to contain 1.7 billion barrels, with extraction expected to begin within two years. The dispute sits within the long-running sovereignty dispute: in a 2013 referendum, 99.8% of island residents voted to remain a British overseas territory, while the 1982 war killed 907 military personnel and three islanders.