Saudi Arabia and Kuwait informed that they have sole ownership of a disputed gas field claimed by Iran, escalating the tensions between them after Tehran threatened to pursue exploration. The two Arab Gulf nations call for negations to settle the maritime border issue.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait said Thursday they have sole ownership of a disputed gas field also claimed by Iran, in an escalating feud after Tehran threatened to pursue exploration.
The offshore field, known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has long been the focal point of contention between the three countries.
In a joint statement published on Thursday, the Kuwaiti and Saudi authorities said that “they alone have full sovereign rights to exploit the wealth in that area.”
The two Arab Gulf states renewed “their previous and repeated calls to the Islamic Republic of Iran to negotiate” the demarcation of their maritime borders to settle the issue, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) statement.
Iran and Kuwait have held unsuccessful talks for many years over their disputed maritime border area, which is rich in natural gas.
Recent attempts to revive negotiations have failed, and Iran’s oil minister on Sunday said Tehran may pursue work in the field even without an agreement.
“Iran will pursue its rights and interests regarding exploitation and exploration” of the field “if there is no desire for understanding and cooperation,” Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji was quoted as saying by the official Shana news agency.
Last month, Kuwait invited Iran for another round of maritime border talks after Tehran said it was ready to start drilling in the field.
A few weeks later, Sky News Arabia quoted Kuwait’s Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak saying his country would also begin “drilling and production” at the gas field without waiting for a demarcation deal with Iran.
Last year, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to jointly develop the field, despite objections from Iran which branded the deal as “illegal.”
Miroslava Salazar, with AFP
