The Falklands dispute is back on the boil, and Argentina's president, Javier Milei, is playing a long game that involves rewriting history, courting Donald Trump, and slapping sanctions on 45 unnamed people and companies. In a late-night address on Thursday, Milei treated his nation to a brief history lesson, from the Argentine perspective, naturally, repeating the mantra that the islands 'rightfully belong' to Argentina. The British, he said, had invaded and colonially occupied the islands in 1833, violently wresting the territory from Argentina's hands.

The UK Government would say he conveniently overlooked a few details: the islands were uninhabited when the British reoccupied the land, and the Argentine settlement had been forced out two years earlier not by the British but by the Americans. A warship, the USS Lexington, destroyed a fort in December 1831 amid a dispute over fishing and sealing rights. So, the Americans have form.

But now, the US could be central to strengthening the Argentine claim. Milei assured his people that 'winds of change' were blowing after Trump said he was 're-evaluating' the US position on the Falklands. Traditionally, the US has been neutral, albeit recognising British rule. But Reagan provided material support to Thatcher during the 1982 war, reinforcing the 'Special Relationship'. Trump, however, feels that relationship was eroded when the UK chose not to join the US war on Iran. 'You weren't there to help me,' he told GB News, adding that the Falklands were 'a long way away'. The islanders, who voted almost unanimously to remain British in 2013, might point out that the distance from London to the Falklands is fractionally shorter than from Washington DC to Guam.

Trump's words have galvanised Milei, who needs a boost ahead of next year's presidential election. His former vice-president, Victoria Villarruel, is running against him, presenting herself as a tougher defender of national sovereignty. Domestic politics, as ever, are never far from the surface.

But there's also a new urgency: two oil companies, Israel's Navitas Petroleum and the UK's Rockhopper Exploration, are due to explore the Sea Lion oilfield off the Falklands coast within two years. Milei says Argentina 'cannot allow' them to 'appropriate the oil reserves under our sea'. 'We will not stand by with our arms folded,' he said. On Saturday, his office launched sanctions proceedings against 45 people and companies, though without identifying them or clarifying the impact.

Milei paints Argentina as a 'trustworthy partner' to Washington, and he and Trump are close allies in a vision for the Western Hemisphere that Trump calls the 'Don-roe Doctrine' - a play on the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine. In this reordering of spheres of influence, it's conceivable Trump favours Milei over the UK's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham (though the issue transcends personality and party politics). The question is whether the 'Don-roe Doctrine' outweighs the 'Special Relationship' - and whether the Falkland Islanders get a say in their own future.