Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE specific assist for Kuwait after Iraq submits up to date maritime coordinates to the UN.
Revealed On 23 Feb 2026
Gulf nations have pledged assist for Kuwait’s sovereignty after Iraq submitted new maritime coordinates and an up to date map to the United Nations.
Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates backed Kuwait after it summoned Iraq’s cost d’affaires on Saturday to protest Baghdad’s transfer, calling it a violation of its sovereignty.
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Iraq stated it made the updates primarily based on the bottom low-water line used to measure its territorial sea.
Kuwait’s Ministry of International Affairs stated the submitting asserted claims over maritime zones and glued maritime options, together with Fasht al-Qaid and Fasht al-Aij. The ministry emphasised that these areas should not disputed and stay beneath Kuwait’s full sovereign authority.
On Monday, Oman known as on Iraq “to think about the course of its historic and fraternal relations with the State of Kuwait and the rules of fine neighbourliness, and the foundations of worldwide regulation”.
Qatar’s Ministry of International Affairs stated on Sunday that it was in “full solidarity” with Kuwait and Iraq’s submission infringes upon its sovereignty, urging adherence to the 1982 UN Conference on the Regulation of the Sea.
Saudi Arabia, in the meantime, stated it’s following developments with nice concern, contemplating that Iraq’s coordinates embrace elements of the Saudi-Kuwaiti Divided Zone, whose pure sources are shared by the dominion and Kuwait, based on present agreements.
Riyadh affirmed that Baghdad’s coordinates violate Kuwait’s sovereignty over its maritime zones and watersheds, reiterating its “categorical rejection of any claims by another get together to rights within the partitioned zone with its agreed borders between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait”.
It harassed the need for Iraq to abide by UN Safety Council resolutions and respect Kuwait’s sovereignty, calling for dialogue and adherence to worldwide regulation.
Bahrain and the UAE additionally issued statements voicing assist for Kuwait’s sovereignty and respect for worldwide conventions.
Longstanding dispute
The 216km (134-mile) border between Iraq and Kuwait was demarcated by the UN in 1993 after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, nevertheless it didn’t cowl the size of their maritime boundaries. This was left for the 2 oil producers to resolve.
A maritime border settlement between the 2 nations was reached in 2012 and ratified by every of their legislative our bodies in 2013.
In 2023, Iraq’s Federal Supreme Courtroom dominated that the parliament’s ratification of the settlement regarding navigation within the shared Khawr Abd Allah waterway was invalid, stating that worldwide treaties should be ratified by a regulation handed by two-thirds of the members of parliament.
Kuwait, in the meantime, has insisted on the need of finishing the demarcation of the maritime border with Iraq in accordance with worldwide legal guidelines and conventions, a place supported by the Gulf Cooperation Council.
