An Analytical Study of Iran's Trans-boundary Water Agreements

International water agreements such as treaties, protocols, and bilateral or multilateral agreements lead to reduction of the probability and severity of conflicts among the countries concerned. Iran has signed several bilateral agreements concerning trans-boundary rivers with most of its neighbors such as the 1920 Treaty on the Aras, Atrak and other shared rivers with the former Soviet Union, the 1953 Protocol on Sarisu and Qarasu Rivers with Turkey, the 1973 Treaty on Hirmand River with Afghanistan and the 1975 Agreement on the use of trans-boundary rivers with Iraq. In this paper, Iran's water agreements with neighboring countries are analyzed in terms of time history, subject dispersion, water sharing regime, exchange of data and information, joint institutional framework and dispute settlement. Results show that most of these agreements have the appropriate level of provisions for the exchange of data and information, joint institutional framework and dispute settlement.