The issue surrounding Kuwait’s “Durra” offshore gas field received significant attention and reaction on Tuesday. Iran had stirred concerns by stating that it has “full preparedness to commence drilling” in this field, which Tehran refers to as “Arash.”
Kuwait firmly asserts that the Durra gas field is a “Kuwaiti-Saudi natural wealth,” and no other party has any rights to it until the maritime boundaries are definitively settled.
This was reiterated by Oil Minister Saad Al Barrak, who emphasized that his country rejects outright the Iranian claims and actions intended to take place in the Arab Gulf regarding Durra.
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.
Kuwaiti lawmakers on Tuesday also rejected statements by Iran that it intends to start exploration at the gas field, reiterating that it is located in Kuwait’s territorial waters. They demanded the National Assembly’s foreign relations committee to review the issue.
The motion signed by six legislators said the Iranian statements were tainted with “greed and the desire to capture Kuwaiti resources” by ignoring Kuwait’s sovereignty and its historical, legal, and international rights in its natural wealth.
The lawmakers demanded the foreign relations committee to review measures taken by the ministries of foreign affairs, defense, interior and oil and any other government body to safeguard Kuwait’s national interests and its rights in the Durra field.
Osama Al-Shaheen, a Kuwaiti lawmaker, also separately demanded the committee to debate the issue immediately.
He said Iran has made some “rejected” claims and announcements on the Durra field, which is exclusive Kuwaiti territory with economic rights for both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
