A review of international oil and gas pipeline agreements and its implication in the Iranian legal system

Pipelines are one of the most commonly used means for onshore transportation of oil and gas. In general, there are two different approaches which can be used to form the legal framework for the construction and operation of international pipelines: the interconnector and the unified models. These two models differ in a range of factors, including ownership, the governing law, taxation, safety and environmental issues. However, it should be noted that in addition to pipeline agreements which govern the construction and operation of cross-border pipelines, this is the domestic law of the concerned States which allows for the selection between these approaches. This paper examines the structure of agreements which have been used for the construction of international pipelines and examines the possibility of implementing these models in the Iranian legal system. Finally, it has been revealed that a distinction shall be made between pipelines connected to upstream installations and pipelines which are used for transporting refined products. Relying on that, for each category different approaches could be arranged in the Iranian legal system.