Saudi Arabia and Iran ended in March a seven-year rift with a surprise Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal, raising hopes for reduced tensions between the Middle East heavyweights.The ship’s namesake said he was scared like everybody else but he tried not to show it. Iranian drilling of the field in 2001 spurred Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to agree on joint offshore projects. Iran and Kuwait have held unsuccessful talks for many years over their disputed maritime border area, which is rich in natural gas. The two concessions overlapped in the northern part of the field, whose recoverable reserves are estimated at some 220 billion cubic meters (nearly 8 trillion cubic feet). The row over the field stretches back to the 1960s, when Iran and Kuwait each awarded an offshore concession, one to the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the forerunner to BP, and one to Royal Dutch Shell. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, who share some maritime gas and oil resources, last year signed an agreement to jointly develop the field despite objections from Iran, which branded the deal as 'illegal.' On Thursday, Sky News Arabia quoted Kuwait's Oil Minister Saad Al-Barrak as saying his country would begin 'drilling and production' at the gas field without waiting for a demarcation deal with Iran. 'Iran will not tolerate any violation of its rights,' Owji added.Įarlier this month, Kuwait had invited Iran for another round of maritime border talks after Tehran said it was ready to start drilling in the field. He said Tehran has sought 'the path of negotiation and understanding with our neighbors,' according to Shana. 'Iran will pursue its rights and interests regarding exploitation and exploration' of the field 'if there is no desire for understanding and cooperation,' Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji was quoted as saying by the official Shana news agency. The offshore zone of the resource-rich Gulf, known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, has long been a focal point of contention between the three countries. Iran's oil minister said Sunday Tehran would 'pursue its rights' to a disputed gas field also claimed by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait if negotiations fail, the ministry's news agency reported.

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