Rubio downplays reports US could review UK's claim to Falklands

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has downplayed reports that the US could review its position on the UK's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.

A leaked internal Pentagon email, details of which were reported by Reuters last week, suggested the US was considering options to punish Nato allies it saw as having failed to support its war with Iran. Rubio told the Sun and Daily Telegraph on Thursday that it was "just an email" and the reaction was "overexcited". The Falklands, a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean, remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina.

The islands have been under British rule since 1833, but Argentina has repeatedly claimed it has a right to them on the basis that it inherited them from the Spanish crown, as well as the islands' proximity to the South American mainland.

Argentina attempted to capture the islands by force in 1982, but after a 10-week conflict its forces surrendered to a British taskforce.

However, the country still claims sovereignty over the Falklands, which it calls the Malvinas and which lie about 300 miles (483km) east of Argentina.

The US has remained neutral in the dispute, while recognising British control, though it has unofficially offered diplomatic and military support to the UK. Rubio was quoted by the Sun as saying: "It was just an email with some ideas. " He also told the newspaper: "Our position on the islands remains one of neutrality. We acknowledge that there are conflicting claims of sovereignty between Argentina and the UK. "We recognise the de facto United Kingdom administration of the islands but take no position regarding sovereignty claims of either party. " His comments came after reportedly discussing the matter with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in Washington DC on Wednesday. Reports concerning the leaked Pentagon email raised concerns that a change in America's position on the Falklands - which sit roughly 8,000 miles from the UK - could make Argentine efforts to assume control of the islands easier.

When they emerged, Downing Street stressed that sovereignty over the islands was solely a matter for the people living there.

"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," a spokesperson said.

A 2013 referendum among the island's 1,672 eligible voters saw all but three voting to continue as an overseas territory, on a turnout of more than 90%.

Following the Falklands War - during which 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel and three Falkland Islanders lost their lives - there has been a combined UK armed forces presence on the islands with more than 1,000 personnel stationed there