Prepared by: Fadi Khalil
Researcher at the Saif Bin Hilal Center for Energy Sciences Studies and Research, formerly
Abstract:
Iran invited Kuwait – which also represents Saudi Arabia – in March 2023 to negotiate the demarcation of their maritime borders, which include the Dorra gas field, which has been disputed between them since the 1960s, but the two countries did not succeed In reaching an agreement due to their differences over the demarcation method.
Iran insists on adopting the continental shelf approach, based on its view of the Arabian Gulf as an open sea, while Kuwait adheres to the closed or semi-closed seas approach, and protests against Iran’s demarcation of the borders between the Iranian island and “Kharj” And the mainland of Kuwait; For ignoring the Kuwaiti island of Failaka.
Accordingly, this paper presents conclusions regarding the content of the sources of international law governing the dispute over the Dorra field, Iranian practices towards it, the counter-reactions of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, the Kuwaiti-Saudi agreements regulating their exploitation of the field, and Iran’s reactions towards those Kuwaiti-Saudi agreements and the responses of A Effectiveness of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia towards it; This is to determine which countries have sovereign rights over the field and the legal basis for that, as well as whether any country has violated the sovereign rights of another country related to the field, in addition to whether any country has undermined the rights of another country Its comprehensive development.
The agency is interested in studies of energy security, and its political and geopolitical effects, as well as the effects of energy security on stability in the system and international peace.