U.S. Reaffirms Neutrality on Falklands After Leak as Argentina Seeks Talks

Overview

• An internal Pentagon email, described to Reuters on Friday, floated revisiting U.S. backing for European “imperial possessions” including the Falklands to pressure NATO allies over the Iran war.
• Following that reporting, the State Department said U.S. policy remains neutral on sovereignty and recognizes U.K. administration of the islands.
• The U.K. said its claim to the territory is unchanged and pointed to the islanders’ right to self-determination.
• Argentina’s foreign minister Pablo Quirno on Friday proposed restarting talks with London and rejected the islands’ 2013 referendum as invalid.
• The archipelago saw a 1982 U.K.–Argentina war and today has a small population, a U.K. air base, rich fishing grounds, and offshore oil projects.