US may review UK claim to Falklands

Jenny Martorell

Updated 14.52 | Published 13.52

The Falklands conflict has flared up again – 44 years after the war between Britain and Argentina.

The reason: A leaked US email about how the British should be punished for their role in the Iran war.

– Sovereignty lies with us, says British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman. 

Quick version

• A leaked Pentagon email suggests that the US is considering reassessing its support for Britain’s territorial claims, including the Falklands, in response to British opposition to the Iran war.
• Britain stands firm on its sovereignty over the Falklands, citing previous referendums in which an overwhelming majority of the islands’ population voted to remain a British territory.
• Spain could potentially be expelled from NATO, according to the internal email, due to the country's refusal to allow US military use of its bases during the war with Iran.

Spain and Britain have made it difficult for the United States during the Iran war, the Pentagon believes. An internal email reveals options for how they should be punished for this, a source told Reuters.

For Britain, it could mean the United States reassessing its diplomatic support for British overseas territories, such as the Falkland Islands, which are also claimed by Argentina.

Britain initially did not grant the United States permission to use its air bases to attack Iran. And Prime Minister Keir Starmer is a "coward" for not wanting to join the war, according to US President Donald Trump.

 

The Falkland Islands are one of Britain's overseas territories. Photo: Ricardo Mazalan/AP/TT

“Sovereignty lies with us”

The 1982 war between Argentina and Britain over the islands left hundreds of soldiers dead on both sides before the Argentine military dictatorship finally surrendered.

Argentina has continued to assert its right to the de facto self-governing island nation ever since. As recently as April 2 – the anniversary of the start of the war – the country’s President Javier Miel reiterated the country’s demand for complete sovereignty over the territory, which in Argentina is known as the Malvinas.

Britain, for its part, claims the islands as its own. They stand by that, a spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Friday, Sky News reported.

“The Falklands have previously voted overwhelmingly to remain an overseas territory. We have always supported the right to self-determination,” the spokesman said, adding:

“Sovereignty lies with us.”

          

          A spokesman for Keir Starmer says that sovereignty lies with the UK. Photo: Brook Mitchell /AP/TT

Wants to get rid of Spain

That it will be the US that leaves NATO, as the country's President Donald Trump has repeatedly hinted, is not an option according to the internal email.

Instead, Spain, whose Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has made himself known as one of the war's biggest opponents, could be kicked out completely.

Sánchez announced early on that the Spanish military bases of Rota and Morón were not allowed to be used for operations against Iran because the war is not supported by the UN.

Reuters has been in contact with the Pentagon about the email. Despite everything the US has done for NATO, the allies have not been there for them, according to press secretary Kingley Wilson.

- The War Department will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part. We have no further comment on any internal deliberations, he says.