Milei took to a live TV broadcast on Thursday night to announce a string of punitive measures against businesses operating on the islands, which he called 'Argentine territory under British occupation'Rachel Vickers-Price UK and World News Reporter and Rachel VickersPrice01:44, 04 Sep 2026Updated 07:34, 04 Sep 2026President Javier Milei declared the Falkland Islands as 'Argentinean, historically and legally' in a no-holds-barred national address on Thursday.‌Milei announced a string of punitive measures that Argentina will impose on the islands and those who live and work there, stating he feels it is Argentina's 'obligation' to regain control of the Falklands.‌“We are going to review what is happening on the international stage; yesterday something very significant took place regarding the most important and sacred cause we Argentines have,” Milei told El Observador radio.‌“The Falklands are Argentinean. Historically and legally. There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory,” he said in an address to the nation.“The islanders on their usurped territory do not have a legitimate right to self-determination and any argument on any such self-determination is invalid.”‌Milei said the Sea Lion oilfield, owned by an Israeli and a British firm where production is expected to begin in 2028, was a “clear and present danger” to the region.He said on Thursday: "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.”While the Sea Lion oilfield is just one project across the region, Milei said there were a slew of "other projects and other companies that also represent a threat to Argentina's strategic interests".‌"This means that today, our national cause faces a clear and urgent danger that demands a proportional response. We are not going to allow it," the world leader said on Thursday night."Tonight I am signing a decree to grant greater swiftness to sanctioning procedures regarding Argentine territory under British occupation," he added, before taking aim at those who continue to conduct business in and around the Falklands without express consent from Argentina.‌"Those who operate on our islands behind the back of the Argentine government will have to choose between an illegal bet in a disputed territory and a profitable, secure operation in a sovereign country with clear rules and predictability. You cannot do both," Milei said.During his speech, the Argentinean President also confirmed he would be rallying his nation's Congress to grant the government powers to "respond with economic and diplomatic tools against state or non-state actors that threaten our national security".So, he is pretty much seeking the green light from Argentinian politicians to impose sanctions— or worse— on those who threaten his nation's interests, which is undoubtedly a thinly veiled reference to the UK.‌"We must act today with an eye on the future, and Malvinas is the future—it is not merely a matter of our past. Defending our sovereignty and recovering our islands requires being a politically relevant, economically influential, and militarily respectable nation," he added.Milei's bombshell national address comes ion the wake of comments made by US President Donald Trump last week.‌Trump faced questioning about America's ongoing support for Britain's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands. When pressed on his position at the White House, the US president informed reporters: "I always review every position - that's just one of many."On Thursday, Milei called on Argentina's allies - including Trump's United States of America - and urged them to help the South American nation defend its sovereignty,"We ask those who are friends of Argentina not to look the other way when our sovereignty is violated and our resources are taken," Milei said, adding:"As a nation, we have two paths ahead of us: either we become a great nation capable of truly defending our sovereignty, or we persist on a path of decay that will inevitably lead us to subjugation. I invite you to choose the first path."‌He then paraphrased the US President himself, stating: "Let us make Argentina great again."While the South Atlantic islands belong to Britain at current, Argentina has long challenged the UK's claim to the archipelago, maintaining sovereignty. Political tensions surrounding the territory erupted into warfare in 1982. The conflict lasted 74 days and concluded with an Argentine surrender.Presently, the US maintains a neutral stance on who holds legitimate sovereignty over the islands.‌Trump's remarks represent the latest indication that the Oval Office is willing to exploit the dispute as leverage to pressure the UK's new Labour government into increasing its defence spending and NATO contributions.An anonymous US official informed the Telegraph last week that the White House might alter its stance concerning the Falkland Islands, should Britain fail to satisfy Trump's demands for a minimum defence expenditure of five per cent of GDP.Article continues belowAt the weekend, the British government restated its position by affirming its "long-standing and unwavering" commitment to ensuring the islands remain a British Overseas Territory. A spokesperson stated, according to the Independent: "The UK is playing a central role in Nato and strengthening collective defence across Europe. We are Nato's third largest cash spender on defence and the only European NATO member to commit our nuclear deterrent to the alliance."The Telegraph report emerges after a warning concerning the Falkland Islands issued back in April, involving a leaked internal Pentagon email that seemed to indicate the US might withdraw its backing for Britain's claim to the Falklands as punishment for its apparent lack of support regarding the US offensive in Iran.