The US has persuaded the British government not to protest Denmark's sale of F-16 fighter jets to Argentina, despite Britain's ban on arms transfers to Buenos Aires over the Falkland Islands dispute, the Telegraph reports, citing its sources.
The newspaper recalls that the American F-16s sold by Denmark arrived in Argentina at the end of last year. “The US forced Britain to accept the deal to arm Argentina with F-16 fighter jets“, the newspaper wrote.
Although Britain did not have the right to veto the deal, the US pressured the British Foreign Office not to oppose it.
The UK Ministry of Defence, as well as the office of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, told the newspaper that Britain's position on the Falklands Islands remains unchanged. Earlier, Reuters reported, citing a Pentagon source, citing an internal email, that the US was considering temporarily suspending Spain's membership in the alliance and reviewing its position on Britain's claim to the Falklands Islands as punishment for its refusal to cooperate in the operation against Iran. Amid reports of a possible US review of Britain's claim to the Falkland Islands, Argentine government spokesman Javier Lanari announced progress in confirming Argentina's ownership of the disputed archipelago.
The governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom have a long-standing dispute over sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas). In 1982, a war broke out between the two countries, which lasted several weeks and ended with the defeat of Buenos Aires. In 2013, a referendum was held on the islands, as a result of which an overwhelming majority of local residents voted to maintain their status as a British overseas territory. At the time, the Argentine government stated that the result of the referendum would not affect Argentina's territorial claims to the islands.