International decisions key to settlement of Arash gas field row: Iran diplomat
Iran Press TV
Sunday, 27 August 2023 7:03 PM
A senior Iranian diplomat says the dispute over the Persian Gulf Arash natural gas field shared with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia can be settled "peacefully" based on international decisions.
Ali Asghar Khaji, a senior aide on political affairs to Iran's foreign minister, made the remarks in an interview with Yemen's Arabic-language al-Masirah television network on Sunday outlining the Islamic Republic's stance on the long-running dispute over the Arash or Al-Dorra gas field between Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
"We have drawn the Iranian borders with Saudi Arabia and we have clear borders with them, so we have no disagreement with the Saudi side on this issue."
He said Iran and Kuwait can settle the dispute over the strategically important gas field through cooperation on the basis of the historical situation of the two countries.
The diplomat said Iran is "very optimistic" about resolving the issue notwithstanding the negative atmosphere that some media outlets seek to use to generate friction among regional countries.
The demarcation of maritime border among Iran, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait will not be a "complicated" issue and can be resolved with goodwill of the Iranian authorities and Tehran's good relations with Kuwait City, Khaji noted.
He pointed to several rounds of technical talks between Iran and Kuwait in the past and said, "We do not have any ambitions in the lands of Kuwait, nor does Kuwait have ambitions in our lands."
The diplomat said Iran is not worried that the gas field row would turn into a problem with Kuwait.
The row over the strategic offshore gas field, located in the interlocking marine region between Kuwait and Iran in the Persian Gulf, stretches back to 1967 when it was discovered by the Japanese firm AOC.
Iran and Kuwait each awarded an offshore concession, one to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the forerunner to British Petroleum, and one to Royal Dutch Shell.
The two concessions overlapped in the northern part of the field, whose total proven gas reserves are estimated to be around 20 trillion cubic feet.
In March 2022, the Kuwaiti government signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to jointly develop the field, without taking into confidence another key stakeholder - Iran.
Iran at the time rejected the agreement as "illegal" and in violation of previous negotiations, saying Tehran must be included in any action to operate or develop the field.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
