Downing Street has stated that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands rests with the UK, following a report indicating the US might review its position on the British claim to the territory.
The internal Pentagon email, first reported by Reuters, suggested possible measures the US could consider in retaliation against allies it believes have not supported its campaign in Iran.
When asked about the report, a No 10 spokesman remarked: The Falkland Islands have overwhelmingly voted in favor of remaining a UK overseas territory, and we have always stood behind the islanders' right to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty rests with the UK. BBC News has not reviewed the Pentagon email.
The prime minister's official spokesperson asserted the government’s clarity on the issue, stating that sovereignty rests with the UK and the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount. He further reiterated that this position has been consistently and clearly communicated to successive US administrations.
BBC News has attempted to contact the Pentagon regarding the reported email. The discussion around the Falkland Islands was part of a wider set of suggestions presented in the email, including a proposal that the US could suspend Spain from NATO due to its opposition to the Iran war.
A NATO official clarified that the organization's founding treaty does not allow for the suspension of NATO membership or expulsion. In response to the email claims, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez remarked, We do not work based on emails. We work with official documents and official positions taken, in this case, by the government of the United States.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory located in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, continue to be a point of contention between Britain and Argentina.
The sovereignty dispute escalated into a 10-week conflict in 1982 when Argentina, under military dictator Leopoldo Galtieri, invaded the islands. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, dispatched a naval task force that ultimately recaptured the islands, but Argentina still claims sovereignty, referring to them as the Malvinas, located about 300 miles east of Argentina.
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