Argentina claims it possesses information indicating that Britain has dispatched a nuclear-armed submarine to the South Atlantic, close to the contested Falkland Islands, marking the latest exchange in a territorial dispute.
At the United Nations, Argentina’s Foreign Minister Hector Timerman informed reporters that a submarine named Vanguard, equipped with nuclear arms, had recently been sent as part of the British military presence in the Falklands, which Argentina refers to as the Malvinas. HMS Vanguard is among four British submarines outfitted with nuclear missiles.
“Argentina has information that within the framework of the recent British deployment in the Malvinas islands they sent a nuclear submarine…to transport nuclear weapons to the South Atlantic,” Timerman stated.
He mentioned that Argentina had inquired with the United Kingdom via diplomatic channels about the introduction of nuclear weapons in the South Atlantic. However, he noted, “up to now, the UK has declined to confirm or deny the truth of this matter.”
According to Timerman, the presence of nuclear arms in the area would breach the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which aims to prohibit nuclear weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean, ensuring the establishment of a nuclear-free zone.
In response to Timerman’s remarks, Britain’s UN Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant later said at his own news conference, “We do not comment on the disposition of nuclear weapons or submarines.”
“I am unsure how he is privy to information about submarines,” he added. “I certainly have no knowledge of it. The essence of nuclear submarines is that they traverse the globe without disclosure of their whereabouts. This is what makes them a deterrent.”
Regarding the treaty, Lyall Grant asserted that there would be no violation as long as nuclear submarines remained outside Argentine waters.
A conflict over the islands occurred between Argentina and Britain in 1982, resulting in over 900 fatalities.
by Mike Hansom
