'Arrogant parasites': Milei blasts UN over Falklands dispute, warns Argentina will ‘take matters into our own hands’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Arrogant parasites': Milei blasts UN over Falklands dispute, warns Argentina will ‘take matters into our own hands’")
Argentina's President Javier Milei speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on September 23, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Argentine President Javier Milei has sharply criticised the UN over the Falklands/Malvinas dispute and warned that Argentina will not simply wait for international action. His remarks come as Buenos Aires steps up pressure over the Sea Lion offshore oil project.
Argentine President Javier Milei has accused the United Nations of failing to enforce its own resolutions on the Falkland Islands, warning that Buenos Aires will not simply wait for international institutions to act as a dispute with Britain intensifies over offshore oil exploration. Attacking the world body, Milei said it was a "useless organisation" filled with "arrogant parasites."
Speaking at the 81st UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday(Sep 23), Milei said the UN had “looked the other way” on the sovereignty dispute over the islands, which Argentina calls the Malvinas. His comments came as his government stepped up action against companies linked to the Sea Lion oil project in the North Falkland Basin.
“Argentina is not going to sit around waiting for the UN and the international community to live up to their own mandate,” Milei warned. “We’re going to take matters into our own hands.”
He accused those involved in exploiting the islands' natural resources of acting under an “illegal foreign occupation” and said Argentina would not remain indifferent to such activity.
Argentina targets Sea Lion oil project
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The escalation is focused on the Sea Lion project, an offshore development roughly 220 kilometres north of the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands Government approved the development programme in 2025, while operator Navitas Petroleum and partner Rockhopper Exploration subsequently took final investment decisions. The companies say the project remains on track, with first oil currently planned for the first half of 2028.
Milei's government has already begun sanctions proceedings against more than 60 companies and individuals connected to the project. Argentina has also introduced legislation seeking to expand penalties for activities it considers unauthorised in areas it claims as part of its territory.
The companies involved maintain that they have valid licences from the Falkland Islands authorities and intend to continue with the development.
What does the UN resolution say?
Milei's criticism rests partly on UN General Assembly Resolution 31/49, adopted in December 1976. The resolution called on Argentina and Britain to refrain from taking unilateral decisions that would alter the situation while sovereignty negotiations were under way. It also urged the two sides to resolve the dispute peacefully through negotiations.
Britain disputes Argentina's interpretation of that resolution and has argued that offshore hydrocarbon activity authorised by the Falkland Islands Government does not amount to unilateral action by the UK. In UN documents, Britain has also stressed that it respects the wishes of the islanders.
The UN itself does not recognise either British or Argentine sovereignty over the islands. Instead, the organisation treats the Falklands/Malvinas as a sovereignty dispute and has repeatedly called on the parties to find a peaceful solution.
Also read | Trump calls AI ‘Super Intelligence’ at UN as world leaders clash over how to regulate it
Milei rejects islanders' self-determination claim
A central disagreement is over the principle of self-determination. Falkland Islanders have repeatedly expressed support for remaining a British territory. In a 2013 referendum, 99.8 per cent of voters backed retaining the islands' existing status, on a turnout of 92 per cent.
Milei rejected the relevance of that principle to the sovereignty question, arguing that the current population was established under British rule. “We call on the United Kingdom to resume negotiations with a view to finding a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute as required by international law,” he said.
Britain, for its part, has consistently maintained that the islanders' right to self-determination should be respected.
Trump adds another layer to dispute
The Falklands issue has gained additional attention because US President Donald Trump has recently indicated that Washington is reviewing its long-standing neutral position on the dispute.
The subject also featured in Trump's first meeting this week with British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Burnham said Britain would defend the Falkland Islanders' right to self-determination and their status as British.
