President Javier Milei has recently sharpened his rhetoric on Argentina’s claim to the British-controlled Falkland Islands, at a time when his close relationship with United States President Donald Trump and the latter’s mounting tensions with the United Kingdom have drawn attention to the future of the contested territory.

Trump and Milei have met several times. The Argentinian leader is a regular feature at conservative pro-Trump political gatherings in the US. Trump has previously described Milei — a far-right populist leader of the Liberty Advances party — as his “favourite president”.

The Falkland Islands, known as Las Malvinas in Argentina, have long been a source of tension between London and Buenos Aires, though relations have largely been calm in recent days.

But in recent days, reports have suggested that the Pentagon has proposed a review of the US historical neutrality over the Falklands dispute — as ties between Washington and London plummet over British criticism of Trump’s war on Iran.

Could Milei’s relationship with Trump and the US president’s anger with Britain change that?

What is the dispute over the Falkland Islands?

The islands are a self-governing British overseas territory in the southwest Atlantic Ocean. An archipelago, its two major islands are East Falkland and West Falkland.

The islands are almost 13,000km (8,000 miles) from the UK mainland and have a population of only about 3,200 people. Some one million penguins nest on the islands every summer.

Argentina claims sovereignty over the islands, arguing it inherited them from the Spanish crown in the 19th century.

However, in 1690, Englishman John Strong landed in the territory and named it after his patron, Viscount Falkland.

Since then, the UK, Argentina, France and Spain have established settlements on the islands.

The UK has administered the islands since 1833 and grounds its claim on its long-established presence there and on the clearly pro-British preferences of the islanders themselves. In 2013, Falklanders held a referendum, with 1,513 out of 1,517 voting in favour of remaining British.

However, Argentinians view the British as a colonising force in the territory.

In April 1982, the dispute between Argentina and the UK reached a boiling point.

Argentina seized the islands in an attempt to take control of the archipelago. In response, then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dispatched a military task force to retake the territory, triggering 74 days of fighting. Ironically, Milei has long cited Thatcher — also a conservative politician — as a political role model.

The UK ultimately won the war, in which 655 Argentinian and 255 British servicemen were killed.

What has Milei said recently?

While Milei’s mostly left-wing predecessors routinely reaffirmed Argentina’s claim to the Falkland Islands, Milei — who has called for strong negotiations with the UK — initially drew criticism from opponents who said he was not taking a firm enough stance on the issue.

In a 2024 interview with the BBC, Milei criticised politicians who “beat their chests” about sovereignty without achieving results.

However, in an interview with a streaming platform last week, he claimed that Argentina was “making progress like never before” on the Falklands issue.

His comments come at a time when Milei’s popularity has crashed domestically. According to the AS/COA (Americas Society/Council of the Americas) approval tracker, 61 percent of Argentinians disapprove of Milei. That is his lowest approval rating since taking office in December 2023.

Why does this matter?

Milei’s latest remarks come against the backdrop of a new wave of transatlantic tensions.

Trump continues to publicly criticise British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his stance on the US-Israel war on Iran, accusing him of not assisting Washington in the fight against Tehran and for failing to help the US reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Days after the war began – and after Starmer initially refused to allow US forces to use UK military bases for strikes on Iran – Trump described the British leader as “not Winston Churchill”.

Britain’s King Charles III and Queen Camilla travelled to the US from Monday to Thursday. The UK’s ambassador to the US, Christian Turner, has called the visit an effort to “renew and revitalise a unique friendship” between the two allies.

What is the US position on the Falkland Islands?

The US has traditionally avoided taking a position on the islands’ sovereignty, while acknowledging that they are under British administration.

But recent reports suggest that the Pentagon has prepared a memo suggesting options to Trump to punish allies that are deemed to have not been helpful enough during the war on Iran. The proposals include trying to suspend Spain — an outspoken critic of the war — from NATO and reviewing the US position on the Falkland Islands.

Four decades ago, the US played an important role in assisting Britain during the Falklands War. Initially, it attempted to mediate between Argentina and the UK. When negotiations failed, it increasingly supplied Britain with intelligence, including satellite imagery, for its military operations.

The US also allowed the British access to its military facilities, and supplied the UK with millions of gallons of aviation fuel, missiles and other military equipment.

Almost 44 years ago, on April 30, 1982, the US also imposed sanctions on Argentina.

Now, such support is less certain in the event of tensions between the UK and Argentina, though US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week tried to downplay suggestions that Washington might change its position on the status of the islands.

Could Milei use his ties with Trump to claim the Falklands?

Experts say that despite the good relationship between Trump and Milei, any resolution of the Falklands dispute still depends on persuading the UK.

“Any settlement of this longstanding dispute will surely involve negotiations, and that means persuading the British, not the Americans,” Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America programme at the Stimson Center in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera.

Gedan explained that Trump is a “big fan” of Milei, and he has helped him at important moments.

In the run-up to key legislative elections in Argentina in 2025, the Trump administration extended a $20bn currency swap facility to help stabilise the peso.

“In this case, however, hints of a change to US neutrality in the dispute over the Falklands were clearly designed to needle the British prime minister,” Gedan added.