Argentina says they will fight ‘tooth and nail’ for the islands.
Javier Milei (Image: Getty)
Argentina has issued a chilling threat to the UK, sparking fears of an invasion of the Falkland Islands, after the country’s president said he will try to “recover” the archipelago. In a post on X, Argentina’s Secretariat of Intelligence shared a photograph of the Falkland Islands alongside the message “Estamos Mirando,” which translates to “We’re watching”.
Renewed tensions over the British overseas territory further, Argentinian President Javier Milei started his TV address on Thursday that the islands are “are Argentinian… historically and legally”. He added “There can be no argument. They are part of the Argentine territory.”
Milei said the islands are ‘are Argentinian… historically and legally’ (Image: Getty)
The right wing leader also said that the country has an ‘obligation’ to recover the Falkland Islands.
He went onto that the UK was facing “multiple crises of a migratory, demographic and economic nature that are unlikely to be resolved. It is clear that they are on a path of decline. Argentina’s future, however, is flourishing and will prevail.”
Following the speech, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting gave a firm response where he emphasised the Falklands’ position as a British territory.
He wrote on social media: “Milei’s statement overnight tells us more about domestic politics in Argentina than it does about the Falkland Islands.
“The Falklands are British because Falkland Islanders choose to be British. Our commitment to the Falklands is absolute and unshakeable.”
Milei is a close ally of Trump (Image: Getty)
President Donald Trump has also hinted the US would not come to the UK’s aid in any potential future Falklands conflict.
In an interview with GB News, the US president said that Britain had “not been there to help me” with his country’s war with Iran, the US president is also an ally of Milei.
Trump added: “Your country was not there to help me. We didn’t need help, but I did ask NATO, and I asked your former leader, ‘why didn’t you send a couple of ships?’ He said we don’t have any, and it was pretty sad, the whole thing.”
The Falklands have been a British territory since 1833 and in a 2013 referendum, the Falkland Islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% voting in favour and just three votes against.