A Review of Environmental Requirements Applicable on the Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Stipulated in theFundamental Legal Instruments of Iran

Iran, as the holder of world’s fourth largest oil reserves and world’s largest gas reserves, is sensibly exposed to pollutions resulting from oil and gas industry which is its most important economy sector. A significant portion of these pollutions is caused by the upstream oil and gas industry and the remaining portion is resulted from the downstream oil and gas industry. The present research is dedicated to the legal requirements stipulated in Islamic Republic of Iran’s Fundamental Legal Instruments. These instruments include the Constitution, Five-year Development Plan, the Twenty-year Perspective Law, General Policies and similar documents. The central assumption of this study is founded on the idea that fundamental instrument of the Iranian Legal System have a solid general approach with regard to the issue of environmental protection in upstream oil and gas related activities. This approach is specifically evident in Principle 50 of the Constitution.