Downing Street says Falklands sovereignty rests with UK after report of Pentagon ‘review’
Sovereignty of the Falkland Islands “rests with the UK”, Downing Street has said, following a report the US could review its position on Britain’s claim to the territory.
An internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering options to punish Nato allies it believed failed to support its war on Iran.
The options discussed also included seeking Spain’s suspension from Nato over its opposition to the war. BBC News has not been able to review the email.
A Pentagon spokesperson did not comment on the email’s existence, but said it “will ensure that the president has credible options to ensure that our allies are no longer a paper tiger and instead do their part”.
“As President Trump has said, despite everything that the United States has done for our Nato allies, they were not there for us,” the spokesperson added.
The Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between Britain and Argentina.
Asked about the report, a No 10 spokesman on Friday said: “The Falkland Islands have previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory, and we’ve always stood behind the islanders’ right to self-determination and the fact that sovereignty rests with the UK.”
The prime minister’s official spokesman also said the government “could not be clearer about the UK’s position”, and that “sovereignty rests with the UK and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount”.
He continued: “We’ve expressed this position previously clearly and consistently to successive US administrations and nothing is going to change that.”
Previous US administrations have formally recognised the UK’s de facto administration of the islands, but have not taken a formal position regarding sovereignty. [Continue reading…]
An internal Pentagon email outlines options for the United States to punish NATO allies it believes failed to support U.S. operations in the war with Iran, including suspending Spain from the alliance and reviewing the U.S. position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands, a U.S. official told Reuters.
The policy options are detailed in a note expressing frustration at some allies’ perceived reluctance or refusal to grant the United States access, basing and overflight rights – known as ABO – for the Iran war, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the email.
The email stated that ABO is “just the absolute baseline for NATO,” according to the official, who added that the options were circulating at high levels in the Pentagon.
One option in the email envisions suspending “difficult” countries from important or prestigious positions at NATO, the official said.
President Donald Trump has harshly criticized NATO allies for not sending their navies to help open the Strait of Hormuz, which was closed to global shipping following the start of the air war on February 28. [Continue reading…]