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Kuwait Rejects Iranian ‘Claims, Measures’ Regarding Durra Gas Field

The Durra gas field is located within the maritime areas of Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Durra gas field is located within the maritime areas of Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kuwait Rejects Iranian ‘Claims, Measures’ Regarding Durra Gas Field

The Durra gas field is located within the maritime areas of Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Durra gas field is located within the maritime areas of Kuwait (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Kuwait has officially declared its rejection of Iranian “claims and measures” planned for the rich offshore “Durra” gas field

Kuwait Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak said his country “categorically and totally” rejected Iranian procedures and claims on the Durra offshore gas field in the neutral zone connecting Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

Only Kuwait and Saudi Arabia own “exclusive rights” to the field, the minister said in a statement.

Kuwait was “surprised” by Tehran’s plans and intentions, which “contravene the basic principles of international relations”, the minister underlined.

The Arab Gulf country’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that the maritime area where the Durra gas field is located falls within Kuwait’s territorial waters.

The natural resources in this area are jointly shared between Kuwait and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with both countries having exclusive rights to the natural resources in the Durra field, affirmed the ministry.

A source at the ministry stated on Monday that Kuwait has re-invited the Iranian side to initiate talks for demarcating maritime borders.

On March 21, 2022, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement to develop the Durra field, aiming to exploit its rich gas reserves for daily production of one billion standard cubic feet of natural gas and 84,000 barrels of condensates, which will be shared between the two countries.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, inked the deal with his Kuwaiti counterpart.

The two agreed on setting up Al-Khafji Joint Operations Co., a joint venture (JV) between Aramco Gulf Operations Co. and Kuwait Gulf Oil Co. (KGOC).

They also agreed to select a consultant to conduct the engineering studies necessary to develop the field, as per the best techniques and topnotch technologies and practices that take into account safety, health and environmental preservation, as well as the development of the most efficient and effective engineering designs in terms of capital and operations.

For its part, Iran claimed that the document signed between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to develop the Durra gas field was “illegal” since Tehran also has a share in the field and must be included in any action to operate and develop the field.

 

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Saudi Doctors Perform Life-Saving Surgeries in Syria

Saudi and Syrian doctors performing a heart surgery (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Syrian doctors performing a heart surgery (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Doctors Perform Life-Saving Surgeries in Syria

Saudi and Syrian doctors performing a heart surgery (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi and Syrian doctors performing a heart surgery (Asharq Al-Awsat)

In the cardiac surgery unit at Al-Mouwasat University Hospital in the Syrian capital, Dr. Rakan Al-Nazer, head of the Saudi medical delegation to Damascus, stood alongside Dr. Nasser Kheder, the chief of Syrian doctors, and a joint Saudi-Syrian medical team preparing for an open-heart surgery on a Syrian patient.
The procedure follows more than 11 surgeries and dozens of interventional catheterization consultations performed by the team in recent days.

Dr. Al-Nazer is leading a 28-member Saudi medical team — comprising surgeons, consultants, and anesthesiologists — who arrived in Damascus four days ago to perform open-heart and catheterization procedures for adults and children. The mission is being carried out in cooperation with local Syrian doctors and coordinated by the Saudi humanitarian organization Al-Balsam.

The volunteer team is part of a broader group of medical missions that have arrived in Syria since the beginning of the year, as public hospitals grapple with severe shortages of staff, medicine, and soaring fuel prices. The crisis has strained the ability of local medical personnel to reach patients in need and provide free healthcare amid a worsening economic and humanitarian situation across the country.

Al-Nazer told Asharq Al-Awsat that the initiative is part of a wider range of medical volunteer programs run by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center and the Saudi Al-Balsam organization in Syria and other crisis-hit countries. The aim, he said, is “to offer free medical assistance and treatment to low-income individuals and families.”

He added that the campaign’s goal is to perform as many surgeries as possible — targeting up to 100 operations — while ensuring full recovery for all patients, supported by the necessary medical supplies and logistical backing needed for such complex procedures.

Dr. Nasser Kheder, Syria’s chief physician, said the country’s healthcare sector—particularly in Damascus—has been “exhausted in every sense of the word,” after years of conflict destroyed many medical facilities and left healthcare workers drained amid shortages in medical specializations, low wages, and a lack of advanced equipment.

He noted that the joint Saudi-Syrian medical teams have performed a range of procedures, including coronary artery surgeries, aortic and mitral valve replacements, and cardiac catheterizations with stent placements.

Since March, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center has launched five volunteer medical projects in Damascus and its countryside.

Under the “Amal” (Hope) program, Saudi teams have provided surgeries in cardiac care, neurosurgery for adults and children, orthopedics, and interventional cardiology, with the participation of 50 volunteer specialists across various medical fields.

Saudi Arabia’s ongoing humanitarian efforts in Syria are part of a broader mission to support the Syrian people and alleviate the hardship caused by nearly 14 years of war.

The volunteer medical initiatives, led by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, aim to assist low-income individuals and families with life-saving care.

The projects fall under a wider Saudi push to provide critical services in conflict-affected areas and reflect the Kingdom’s commitment to long-term humanitarian support.

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) has warned that Syria’s healthcare system remains in a dire state. More than 20 public hospitals have gone out of service, and 38 others are operating only partially.

The organization reported that a large number of patients are still in urgent need of specialized surgeries and essential medications.