Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday warned of penalties against firms extracting oil around the Falkland Islands, which Britain administers and Argentina has claimed for almost two hundred years.

During a televised address that evening he outlined further steps, including a naval facility in Tierra del Fuego, a National Security Council, and upgrades to military hardware. He put some of those steps into force at once through an emergency decree that Congress may later accept or reject, and on Friday he sent a bill to authorize the penalties and widen related statutes.

Officials have objected to Sea Lion, a British and Israeli venture about 140 miles north of the islands in the North Falkland Basin, with first production planned for March 2028 according to Navitas Petroleum. Milei said the United Nations had asked both countries to avoid one-sided moves such as resource extraction until the dispute ends, accused Britain of ignoring that request, and stated the islands have belonged to Argentina since the country was founded.