Iran says reserves right to exploit joint gas field with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman has called a newly declared agreement between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over the exploitation of the Arash gas field illegal, saying: Tehran reserves the right to exploit the field in the Persian Gulf.

Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Arash/al-Durra is a joint gas field between Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, parts of which are located in areas between Iran and Kuwait whose water boundaries have yet to be defined.

Khatibzadeh added: Based on international regulations and procedures any attempt to exploit and develop this field would be subject to coordination and cooperation among the three states. So the recent move by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia within a cooperation document is illegal and goes against the ongoing procedures and the previously-held talks, having no impact on the legal status of the field and the Islamic Republic of Iran does not approve of it.

Khatibzadeh added: As repeatedly declared, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to enter into talks with neighborly counties of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over the exploitation of the joint gas field, and to continue bilateral talks with Kuwait within the framework of the previous negotiations over the demarcation of the Continental Shelf.

Khatibzadeh also voiced the Islamic Republic’s readiness for trilateral talks aimed at defining a joint point among the three countries.

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