Saudi Arabia and Kuwait invite Iran to demarcate disputed Gulf gas field

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Wednesday invited Iran to negotiate the demarcation of a gas field in the waters of the Persian Gulf after Tehran rejected an agreement between the two Arab countries for its exploitation, considering that part of the field is in Iranian waters.  

The Saudi Foreign Ministry reaffirmed in a statement that Riyadh and Kuwait "had previously invited the Islamic Republic of Iran to negotiate the delimitation of the eastern boundary" of the al Dorra field, located in an undemarcated border area between Iran and Kuwait. The note, reproduced by the official Saudi news agency SPA, says the two Arab countries are now "renewing their invitation to Iran to conduct such negotiations".  

At the same time, it notes that the Saudis and Kuwait "reaffirm their right to exploit the natural resources in this region and to continue working to implement what was agreed between them on 21 March 2022". 

On that date, Saudi Energy Minister Abdelaziz bin Salman signed a memorandum with the Kuwaiti authorities to develop the al Dorra field, with the intention of producing 1 billion cubic metres of gas per day and 84,000 barrels of condensate.  

The Iranian government rejected the deal, arguing that the field crosses Iranian, Saudi and Kuwaiti waters, demanding that Iran must be a party to any negotiations or exploitation.  

Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran are important members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), but Iranian production has been under US sanctions since Washington's 2018 withdrawal from the deal limiting Iranian nuclear activities.  

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016 and, although the two countries have been negotiating normalisation for several months, Riyadh openly accuses Tehran of supplying weapons to Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi economic facilities with missiles.