Argentina calls on court to block oil exploration near Falkland Islands and claims UK acted illegally by giving the go-ahead

Argentina has accused the UK of acting illegally by approving the go-ahead of drilling for oil near the Falkland Islands. Lawyers for the Argentine government asked for judges to order a halt to the Sea Lion project during a hearing at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg. The nation has long claimed sovereignty over the Falklands and invaded the islands in 1982, triggering a war which saw a British taskforce despatched to successfully retake the territory.

The Buenos Aires government has argued that drilling should not take place until the issue of sovereignty has been resolved. Read more: ' It's a national cause': Furious Javier Milei blasts 'useless' UN for 'looking the other way' on Falklands dispute Read more: ‘We can’t let their deaths mean nothing’: Falklands veteran breaks down on LBC as Argentina ramps up threat to British islands The UK government vowed to "robustly defend our interests and those of the Falkland Islanders" who have "the right to develop their natural resources".

At the hearing in Hamburg, Argentina’s lawyer Mario Oyarzabal said: "What is at stake cannot be restored. "Hydrocarbons are non-renewable resources and their extraction is final. Drilling permanently alters the seabed and subsoil. "Wells may be plugged, but they cannot be undone. Once extracted, oil cannot be put back. "No compensation could restore the status quo ante, nor can the information obtained ever be withdrawn." He added: "In the event of a blowout or spill, it is Argentina that would bear its consequences and be called upon to respond, not a state that is 12,700 kilometres away."

Mr Oyarzabal referred to a 1995 agreement on co-operation in the South Atlantic, which Argentina pulled out of in 2007, arguing that the British granting of licences for oil exploration showed the UK had refused to work with Buenos Aires. "Argentina did not abandon co-operation, but, as Argentines know well, it takes two to tango," he said. "Unfortunately, the United Kingdom prefers to dance alone." He urged the Hamburg court to grant provisional measures halting the Sea Lion project now pending a full resolution of the dispute.

The UK’s representation at the tribunal will be led by Attorney General Ellie Reeves, although she was late to arrive for the Hamburg hearing. The proceedings are expected to last two days, although a ruling could take several weeks. The Sea Lion development is a joint venture in the South Atlantic Ocean between British and Israeli companies, and contains an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil. Argentinian President Javier Milei previously described the companies’ activities as unlawful and launched economic sanctions on people and firms involved in oil exploration around the islands.