On Sunday, Iran held firm to its assertion of rights over a disputed gas field, known as “Arash” in Iran and “Dorra” in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The statement indicated that Iran would not back down unless the two countries showed willingness towards a mutual understanding.
The controversy over the gas field, located off the Arabian Gulf, traces back to the 1960s. Each nation granted exploration rights to different companies, leading to intersecting claims in the northern part of the Dorra field.
Recently, tensions have reignited over the field after Iran’s declaration of its intent to start exploration. In response, both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait maintained their “exclusive rights” over the field.
“If there is no desire to achieve understanding and cooperation, Iran will prioritize securing its rights and interests, including the extraction and exploration of these resources,” said Iranian Oil Minister, Javad Owji, as reported by Iran’s official “IRNA” agency.
While emphasizing Iran’s consistent support for peaceful solutions to territorial and maritime disputes with neighboring countries, Javad also declared that Iran “will not tolerate any erosion of its rights.” He further noted that Iran would pursue its interests in the Arash field if other parties declined to cooperate.
In contrast, Kuwait’s Oil Minister, Saad Al-Barrak, told Sky News Arabia that his country would commence drilling and production in the Dorra gas field, irrespective of border delineation with Iran.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait jointly asserted in early July their exclusive rights to exploit the field’s natural resources, following Iran’s proclamation of its readiness to commence exploration. Kuwait renewed its invitation to Iran to resume maritime boundary delineation talks.
Last year, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signed an agreement to develop the field, despite Tehran’s objections, labeling the deal as “illegitimate.” Iran’s commencement of drilling in the Dorra field in 2001 led to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait agreeing to define their maritime boundaries and plan for the development of the joint oil fields.
Estimated to hold around 200 billion cubic meters of extractable gas reserves, the field has been a longstanding point of contention. Despite years of negotiations to resolve the dispute over the continental shelf area along their maritime boundary, Iran and Kuwait have yet to reach a conclusive agreement.
