UK Urges Interpol to Reject Argentina's Arrest Warrants Over Falklands Oil Project

Britain has sent a formal letter to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) asking it to reject Argentina's arrest requests for individuals involved in a large-scale oil project off the Falkland Islands. The move comes as sovereignty tensions between London and Buenos Aires escalate to levels unseen since the 1982 war.

According to information obtained, the letter to Interpol headquarters in Lyon argues that the "red notices" Argentina has issued for those involved – including British citizens – should be viewed as politically motivated. British officials expressed concern that this is an effort to pressure individuals and companies into abandoning operations in the Falklands.

At the center of the tension is the Sea Lion oil project in the basin north of the Falklands, in the South Atlantic. The project is assessed to have the potential to triple the islands' GDP, but Argentine President Javier Milei has vowed to block it. Buenos Aires's strategy includes criminalizing those taking part in the project and deterring other investors.

Andrea Clausen, chief executive of the Falkland Islands government, confirmed that Argentina's use of Interpol is a threat, but expressed hope that the organization would not act. She said those involved have studied the provisions of Interpol's charter to assess the potential impact.

Interpol is known to have responded to Britain's letter, stating it would abide by Article 3 of its charter – the provision barring the organization from carrying out any intervention or activities of a political character. Interpol has a screening mechanism for red notices, which are requests to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition. If forwarded to law enforcement agencies, each member state decides for itself whether to act. Last year, nearly 20,000 red notices were issued.

Britain's Foreign Office has not commented on the matter.

British officials assess the level of threat from Argentina over the Falklands is at its highest since the war 44 years ago – the 74-day conflict launched by dictator Leopoldo Galtieri that ended with the surrender of Argentine forces and the deaths of 649 Argentine soldiers, 255 British soldiers and three Falklands residents.

Argentina continues to claim sovereignty over the archipelago of 700 islands and rejects the outcome of the 2013 referendum, in which 99.8 percent of the 3,600 residents voted to remain with Britain, with only three votes against.

Despite Interpol's reassurances, concerns remain that Argentina could persuade member states that its requests are not political but based on domestic law. Milei has launched criminal proceedings against Israel's Navitas and its British partner Rockhopper Exploration – the two core companies behind the offshore Sea Lion project.

A draft national sovereignty law before Argentina's Congress would extend sanctions to the companies' subsidiaries, financial intermediaries, shareholders and suppliers. The bill also contains provisions targeting those working in the Falklands fishing industry – a sector that accounts for most of the islands' economy, located 500 km east of Argentina's southern Patagonian coast.

Oil and fishing workers in the Falklands are said to fear they could be targeted if they travel, particularly to South America, where Buenos Aires's sovereignty claim enjoys support.

Alongside efforts to block the Sea Lion project, Argentina is expected within 24 hours to escalate its dispute with Britain by requesting arbitration under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) over the oil project. On September 28, Milei set a two-week deadline for Britain to halt the project or face legal action. The deadline expired on Monday and Argentine media reported that the arbitration request would follow.

Buenos Aires is expected to accuse Britain of violating UN resolutions calling on the parties to negotiate the sovereignty dispute and refrain from "unilateral changes" to the situation. Argentina will seek a binding ruling forcing Britain to stop drilling. However, British government sources believe Unclos will not intervene in a sovereignty dispute.

At a public meeting on Monday evening, Falklands council member Dean Dent told constituents that the British government is working to build a tough response to the Argentine threat. He said London has set up a dedicated legal advisory team, and cited four recent similar sovereignty-related cases taken to Unclos that were all dismissed by the court as sovereignty rather than maritime matters.

Britain's government is expected to take a firmer approach to Argentina in the coming days. Prime Minister Andy Burnham told parliament on Monday that he had raised the issue and "the clear, stated will of the islanders to remain with Britain" with US President Donald Trump.