Argentine war veterans and environmental lawyers on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking to halt a British-Israeli oil project off the coast of the disputed Falkland Islands.

Argentina refers to the South Atlantic archipelago as Las Malvinas and unsuccessfully attempted to seize it from British control in 1982.

The legal action came a day after US President Donald Trump said he would not rule out reviewing Washington’s traditionally neutral position on the territorial dispute.

Argentine President Javier Milei welcomed Trump’s remarks and said on X that he would address the “SACRED issue for Argentines: the Malvinas cause” in a televised speech on Thursday night.

“What cause more important and strategic for the vital interests of the Nation could there be than the Malvinas cause?” he wrote.

The lawsuit targets the Sea Lion oil project, jointly pursued by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum. The companies plan to develop a large-scale oil operation around 220 kilometres (137 miles) from the Falkland Islands, according to the plaintiffs.

The groups argue that the project breaches a United Nations resolution calling for unilateral actions to be avoided while a territorial dispute remains unresolved.

Although the project is located in an area under British control, the plaintiffs argue that a ruling by Argentine courts could affect its progress.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent the companies from “starting and/or continuing the works... as well as from initiating the extraction and exploitation of hydrocarbons”, lawyer Enrique Viale told AFP.

The Falklands dispute remains a deeply sensitive issue in Argentina.

During the World Cup semi-final against England in July, several Argentine footballers held up a banner reading “Las Malvinas are Argentine” after their 2-1 victory over England.

A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Downing Street office responded after the display, saying: “The World Cup might not be ours, but the Falkland Islands definitely are.”

Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982, prompting then-British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to send a naval task force to retake the islands.

The war killed 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and three islanders.

Asked on Monday whether Washington was reviewing its position on the Falklands, Trump told reporters: “I always review every position. That’s just one of many.”

Milei has welcomed Trump’s comments about potentially reviewing the US position of neutrality towards the dispute.