Kuwait and Saudi Arabia Agree; Development of the 'Dora' Field (Arash) Begins Without Iran

The Arabic-language newspaper 'Al-Rai' reported that Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have reached an agreement to begin the development project of the gas field 'Dora'. According to the newspaper, the heads of the Kuwait Oil Company and officials from Saudi Aramco announced in a joint meeting last Tuesday that they will proceed with the development of this gas field according to a scheduled and agreed timeline. The gas field 'Arash', located in the northern Persian Gulf, was discovered in 1967 by the Japanese oil company 'E.O.C'. The in-place gas reserve of this field is estimated at 20 trillion cubic feet, and its in-place oil reserve is close to 310 million barrels. This oil and gas field, referred to as 'Arash' by Iran and 'Dora' by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has been a contentious issue for decades. In this regard, Tehran has always sought recognition of its share in the oil and gas field 'Arash'. The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated in a statement on Thursday, August 3, that the natural resources and the disputed gas field 'Dora', which Iran calls 'Arash', exclusively belong to Riyadh and Kuwait. Recently, Saudi Arabia, in a joint front with Kuwait, stated that it has a share in this field, and both countries have jointly denied Iran's share of this gas field, while officials from the Islamic Republic assert that they will pursue their rights in this region. The ongoing dispute over a gas field; Saudi Arabia: The gas field 'Dora' (Arash) belongs to Riyadh and Kuwait. The early challenge of the Iran-Saudi agreement; rhetoric over the Arash gas field is increasing. Kuwait will begin drilling and production from the Arash gas field.