Argentina announced Monday it will file criminal charges against Israeli oil company Navitas Petroleum over its involvement in offshore drilling at the Falkland Islands — a British territory Argentina claims as its own.
President Javier Milei’s administration is targeting the Sea Lion project, a joint British-Israeli offshore oil operation north of the islands where an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil are located.
Navitas Petroleum, based in Tel Aviv, reportedly holds a 65 percent stake in Sea Lion. The Salisbury-based Rockhopper Exploration holds the remaining 35 percent.
“The filing of this complaint constitutes a concrete action to protect natural resources and safeguard the sovereignty of the Argentine Republic over the Malvinas Islands.”
Milei and Argentine officials allege the project violates a United Nations resolution requesting that both Argentina and the U.K. abstain from unilateral actions — including natural resource exploitation — until the territorial dispute is resolved.
The criminal complaint targets Navitas Petroleum Development & Production Ltd., Navitas Petroleum Atlantic United, Navitas Petroleum LP, JHI Associates Inc., and Eco Atlantic Oil & Gas Ltd. Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno will present the complaint with backing from Treasury Attorney General Sebastian Javier Amerio.
Argentina’s presidency justified the legal action by alleging Navitas operates with “licenses granted by the illegitimate government of the United Kingdom.” The complaint is directed against all directors, managers, trustees, board members, administrators, agents, representatives, or authorized persons allegedly involved.
“The defense of sovereignty must be exercised through all legal and institutional means available to the national government to prevent third parties from carrying out activities involving resources belonging to the Argentine Republic,” the presidency stated.
Navitas Petroleum has not publicly commented on the charges at press time. Both Navitas and Rockhopper reportedly stated last week that Milei’s initial announcements were not expected to affect Sea Lion’s development. The companies emphasized they hold valid licenses from the Falklands Islands for the project.
The Argentine government’s move comes amid rising tensions between Israel and the British government.
On Monday, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir published a Spanish-language statement calling upon Israel to “publicly recognize that the Malvinas Islands are Argentine territory under occupation which the British violently steal from the Argentine people.”
“The British are not content with merely occupying the territory; they also carry out oil drilling there and steal the money from the Argentine people.”
Ben-Gvir also called upon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “recognize Argentina’s sovereignty” over the Falkland Islands and impose sanctions on Great Britain “as long as the occupation continues.”
The Milei administration is invoking local legislation that demands “Argentine authorization” for any hydrocarbon extraction project in Argentine territory — including the contested Falkland Islands, despite the islands being officially part of the United Kingdom.
The Falkland Islands are a South American archipelago that was uninhabited until British sailors arrived in the 1600s. Argentina has maintained a longstanding territorial claim over the islands for nearly 200 years. The cause is a subject of national identity in Argentina. A nearly unanimous number of the island’s inhabitants have democratically voted to remain part of the United Kingdom.
— Oficina del Presidente (@OPRArgentina) September 7, 2026
Es hora de que el Estado de Israel reconozca públicamente que las Islas Malvinas son territorio argentino ocupado, que los británicos le roban violentamente al pueblo argentino. Los británicos no solo se conforman con ocupar el territorio, sino que también realizan allí…
— איתמר בן גביר (@itamarbengvir) September 7, 2026
