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Kuwait to Drill in Durra Field before Iran Border Demarcation

Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak. (KUNA)
Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak. (KUNA)
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Kuwait to Drill in Durra Field before Iran Border Demarcation

Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak. (KUNA)
Kuwaiti Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak. (KUNA)

Kuwait’s Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak told Sky News Arabia on Thursday his country will start drilling and begin production at the Durra gas field without waiting for border demarcation with Iran.

On July 3, Al Barrak, stated that Kuwait categorically rejects the Iranian claims and actions regarding the Durra oil field in the Gulf.

According to the Kuwaiti News Agency, Al Barrak emphasized that the Durra oil field boasts natural wealth that belongs to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and no other party has any rights to it until the maritime boundaries are demarcated.

“We were surprised by the Iranian claims and intentions regarding the Durra oil field, which contradict the most basic principles of international relations,” he stressed.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry had declared that the maritime region containing the Durra oil field is situated within the territorial waters of Kuwait.

The natural resources in this area are jointly shared between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and they alone possess exclusive rights to the natural wealth in Durra.

On July 4, a reliable source at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency that the ownership of natural resources in the demarcated submerged area, including the entire Durra oil field, is a shared solely between the Kingdom and Kuwait.

Both countries have full sovereign rights to exploit the resources in that area.

Saudi Arabia reiterated its previous calls to Iran to commence negotiations on demarcating the eastern boundary of the demarcated submerged area between the Kingdom and Kuwait as a single negotiating party, according to international law.

On March 21, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait signed an agreement for the development of the Durra field to produce one billion standard cubic feet of natural gas and 84,000 barrels of condensates daily, which will be shared between the two neighbors.

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US Energy Secretary Says Riyadh and Washington to Sign Civil Nuclear Agreement

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks at the press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Photo: Turki al-Aqaili
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks at the press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Photo: Turki al-Aqaili
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US Energy Secretary Says Riyadh and Washington to Sign Civil Nuclear Agreement

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks at the press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Photo: Turki al-Aqaili
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks at the press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Photo: Turki al-Aqaili

The United States and Saudi Arabia will sign a preliminary agreement on energy cooperation and civilian nuclear technology, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday.

Wright spoke at a press conference in the Saudi capital Riyadh where he arrived from the United Arab Emirates on Saturday as part of a regional tour that will also take him to Qatar.

His visit comes amid world economic turmoil over the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. But Wright said that these tariffs don’t seek to restrict trade, rather they aim for fair and reciprocal trade.

His visit also comes ahead of an expected visit by Trump to the Kingdom, the UAE and Qatar in May to consolidate relations.

The US Energy Secretary told journalists at the Saudi Energy Ministry that Riyadh and Washington were on a "pathway" to reaching an agreement to work together to better develop energy resources and energy infrastructure, in addition to mining cooperation, civilian nuclear technology and energy production.

Wright said further details over a memorandum detailing the energy cooperation between Riyadh and Washington would come later this year.

Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman announced last September that the Kingdom is working to develop peaceful uses for nuclear energy across various fields.

In his press conference on Sunday, Wright discussed the meetings he has held in Riyadh. There have “been very wide ranging dialogues for a day and a half now and they're going to continue. We've talked about energy in all aspects of energy. We've talked about mining, critical materials. We've talked about processing in industry. We've talked about climate change. We've talked about human lives and what drives their improvement and how best to achieve those ends,” he said.

On Saturday, Prince Abdulaziz met with Wright at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC) where the US official was briefed on the Center's role in the fields of energy policy research and its transitions, climate change, sustainable transportation, and consultancy services, in addition to the development of models and analytical tools that contribute to finding solutions to current challenges in the energy sector. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation in energy research, exchange of expertise, and strengthening joint research efforts.

Wright said Sunday that he believed “Saudi Arabia will be one of the leading countries in investing in the United States. I think that's a win for the Kingdom here. It's a win for the United States. And for us, most importantly, it's a win for the working class and American citizens to have better job opportunities.”

He added that the “broader objectives” of the US and Saudi Arabia “are prosperity at home and peace abroad.”

Wright also said in response to a question by Asharq Al-Awsat that tariffs are part of Trump's economic agenda.

He said Trump is trying to grow the flow of goods outside the United States into other countries while sustaining imports and engagement with countries from around the world. “So that's a way you could describe this. Fair trade, not restricted trade, just fair trade, reciprocal trade.”

He added that the United States has seen a lot of its intensive industries, particularly energy, move outside of the country and be outsourced somewhere else. “Too many Americans have seen their job opportunities shift overseas.”

“So tariffs are also a way to give a nudge and encourage investment into our country, to make products in our country, to grow economic opportunity and prosperity in America.”