Reports from Iraq indicate that the Iranian troops have left a border oil field inside Iraqi territory late on Friday. The Iraqi government had accused Iran of sending its troops across the border on Thursday, occupying and raising an Iranian flag over Fakkah oil field’s oil well No. 4. The field is situated just inside the Iraqi territory, at Maysan province, some 500m from an Iranian border post.
Iraq’s national security council held an emergency meeting on Friday to discuss the incident. Iraqi government spokesman Ali Al Dabbagh said in a statement after the meeting that the seizure showed the need for clearly defined borders between Iraq and Iran.
well thank god already.
ReplyDeleteThis has apparently been going on for some time, over this particular well. For some reason, the US press (and US military brass) is responding to this latest episode.
ReplyDeleteFrom the reports I've read, Iranian technicians remain on the scene, while their military escort moved 500 meters east to base camp.
This border was thoroughly negotiated in the 1970's between Iran and Iraq (in the Uskowi Military reading list, see The Iran-Iraq War: the Politics of Aggression by Farhang Rajaee), resulting in the 1975 Algiers Agreement which was ratified as a treaty the next year. Unfortunately, Saddam purposely withheld from properly physically demarcating the border (which Iraq was bound to do), and then opportunistically did away with the treaty by invading Iran in 1980. Thus the border issue crops us from time to time, as a result of the deficient demarcation.
It's interesting that no top Iraqi officials have spoken out on this latest incident (which has been going on for some time now). Rather, it is high ranking American military personnel that are egging this this thing on (similar to Petraeus' recent provocative statement regarding the relative strength of the UAE air force and the IRIAF).
An amusing side note to this little affair is that it generated an increase in the price of crude oil, so that both Iran and Iraq have actually made more money as a result of it!
but according to the 1975 treaty isnt that part of iran? Anyway, i think that iran did a good thing by going back showing that they dont have imperialistic ideas and at the same time will not give up thier rights
ReplyDeleteit is few reason iran did it to iraq one iraq has not payment of 1980 to 1988 war which cost iran one trilion dollers which iraq agreed to paid of but has not recieved yet secound iraq has not provide on oil field contract to iran in recent month all contract has been florish to west and usa this is just litter worning to wake up call also to usa ,iran is full ready for any action require in that region .
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