International Law and the Legal Regime Governing Exploitation of Joint Oil and Gas Fields in the Persian Gulf

Joint natural resources are those which naturally and without human intervention cross land or sea borders of a country and enter another country’s territory. Such terms as cross-border natural resources and international natural resources are used to elucidate this concept. This term also applies to all natural resources located in territories that are subject of dispute between various states. Although international law has recognized sovereign rights of states on the natural resources located in the continental shelf، there is considerable legal void as to joint natural resources which are shared by two or several states. However، the common procedure used by states and international bodies as well as the existing legal doctrine have pointed to a legal rule which is based on cooperation among concerned states in exploiting such resources. The procedure used by littoral states of the Persian Gulf is an example of that rule. Although there are about ten joint oil and gas fields between Iran and its neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf، for various reasons، most of them are being exploited unilaterally، which is not compatible with the economic interests of Iran.