Falkland Islanders issue defiant message to America after leaked Pentagon memo sends Argentina into frenzy

Peter Stevens
Sun, 26 Apr 2026 23:20:27 +0000

Falkland Islanders have issued a defiant message to America after a leaked Pentagon memo revealed the US was considering Argentina's claim to the territory.

The archipelago, which was first landed on by English explorers some 120 years before Argentina existed as an independent state, could have its sovereignty challenged as "punishment" to the UK after it withheld the use of British airbases in the Iran war.

Teslyn Barkman, a Falklands-born former politician, said it was disappointing to hear about her home "spoken about as a possession".

She told The Times: "Whether it came from Trump directly or whether it was someone else who came up with it, I think people here would want to show him what the Falklands really looks like.

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"Because we’re always an idea to people and the reality when you come here is usually quite shocking.

"When you walk around you’d see British flags, you would see the postboxes... And then you go to the beach and there’s a huge haul of penguins. It is very distinctly Falklands."

Downing Street was quick to confirm the Falklands were British, saying the islanders' right to self-determination was "not in question", adding the position had been made "clearly and consistently".

Gary Clement, 70, a veteran of the Falklands War who has lived on the islands for 35 years, said the most recent diplomatic tensions has left locals "very concerned".

He said when the "slightest thing" threatens the islands, residents are "quick to respond".

Argentina has continued to claim sovereignty over the territory after the Falklands War in 1982.

Its President, Javier Milei has reasserted the country's claim to the territory and called for direct negotiations with Britain.

The country has been upgrading its military capabilities with US help - with Mr Milei aligning himself with Mr Trump's foreign policy positions.

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On Friday, he wrote on social media: "The Malvinas were, are, and will always be Argentine. Long live freedom, damn it!"

The US historically has remained neutral to the challenge of sovereignty.

On Saturday, Pablo Quirno, the Argentine Foreign Minister, rejected a 2013 referendum held by the Falkland Islands where 99.8 per cent of its population voted to remain British, labelling it a sham and rejecting the concept of self-determination.

Mr Quirno said: "We reject the British invocation of the principle of the free determination of peoples.

"The current inhabitants of the Falklands have never been recognised as a 'people' by the United Nations. It is not acceptable for the island’s inhabitants to become arbiters of a territorial dispute in which their own country, as an implanted population, is a party."

While the British Army has shrunk since the Falklands War, residents of the islands say they are not worried about Britain's ability to protect the territory as Argentina has upgraded its military capabilities with US help.

It is defended at all times by four Typhoon aircraft, 1,000 military personnel, and a permanent naval base.

The Falklands Islands Defence Force also trains locals to Royal Marines standards.

Mrs Barkman said: "Obviously, as Falkland Islanders, we know this land better than anybody.

"It’s our way of also giving back and contributing to the defence of the island."