Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea: Jurisdiction of Coastal States in the Territorial Waters

After 27 years of diplomatic efforts by the five Caspian coastal States to determine the legal regime of this Sea, it resulted in the signing of the "Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea" in Aktau, Kazakhstan on August 12, 2018. Although this Convention has taken steps to determine the jurisdiction of coastal States by dividing the Caspian Sea into different maritime zones, including territorial waters, contemplation on the provisions of this Convention shows that there are no rules in many jurisdictional matters in the territorial waters of this Sea. Furthermore, the absence of such a treaty can cause serious problems for the Caspian coastal States, especially the Islamic Republic of Iran. Under international law of the sea, coastal States have legislative, judicial and enforcement jurisdictions on a wide range of issues in the territorial waters area. It is concluded in this study that extending these regulations by the five coastal States to the Caspian Sea is the best way to resolve future jurisdictional challenges.