Argentine judge orders halt to Falklands oil project as tensions rise

Mount Tumbledown behind Stanley on the Falkland Islands (Ricardo Mazalan/AP)

An Argentine federal judge on Wednesday ordered British and Israeli companies to stop developing an oilfield off the Falkland Islands, opening a new legal front in the decades-old sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the UK that Argentine President Javier Milei has revived in recent weeks.

The injunction by Judge Mariel Borruto, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, targets the Sea Lion oil project 140 miles north of the British-controlled archipelago in the South Atlantic, barring drilling, offshore installations and port construction until Argentine authorities can conduct an environmental review and issue a decision.