March 19, 2026 from Buenos Aires
foto: Getty images
The government is willing to go to war for the United States. Javier Milei’s subservience to Donald Trump is such that he would agree to send troops to the Middle East in response to a potential request from the White House to attack Iran. “If the United States requested it, yes. Any assistance they deem necessary will be provided,” Communications Secretary Javier Lanari confirmed to the newspaper El Mundo, though he clarified that no such request had been made.
The official’s remarks are in line with statements by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno. While the foreign minister said he would not speak about “rumors but rather certainties,” he affirmed that the government’s position is clear. “To the extent that they need our support, it is clear where we will stand,” he noted.
The controversy gained momentum on Wednesday following statements by Republican leader Marc Zell, who claimed that “Argentina is sending naval units to help the United States safeguard international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Kingdom has refused.”
During his recent visit to New York, Milei intensified his bellicose and subservient rhetoric. He described Iran as “our enemy” and predicted victory for the United States and Israel. “We are going to win the war,” he proclaimed. Additionally, the Argentine government issued a statement celebrating the military operation carried out by the United States and Israel in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was assassinated. In the text, published on the Office of the President’s account, the Casa Rosada described Khamenei as “one of the most evil, violent, and cruel people in the history of humanity. His atrocities have not only been suffered by the Iranian people but have had an impact across the entire globe.”
In response, the pro-government Tehran Times accused Milei of having crossed “an unforgivable red line” by joining the “Iranophobia” campaign. In that regard, it asserted that the libertarian stance compels Iranian authorities to devise “a proportionate response to this hostility.”
The statement came after the president said that “he doesn’t like Iran.” “They have planted two bombs here, one at the AMIA and another at the Israeli Embassy. Therefore, they are our enemies,” he said. Yesterday, at the ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the embassy bombing, he took the opportunity to insist that “Argentina fights terrorism and defends freedom.” “Israel is a strategic ally, and that is why we reaffirm our commitment, because we believe it is the right thing to do,” he added.