Analysis of the cancellation of Arvand Roud border agreement by Iran (1969/1348)

Iran's water borders in Khuzestan have always been one of the tensest and disputed areas with the Iraqi government. The purpose of writing this article is to analyze the cancellation of Arvand Roud border agreement by Iran in 1348/1969.

Analytical historical research method and Library research method were employed to conduct the present study. In a step-by-step process, an attempt was made to collect information after checking keywords, collecting sources, especially archival documents, taking notes and analyzing data.

In 1914, when Iraq was considered a part of the Ottoman Empire, the unjust border demarcation agreement was imposed on the weak Qajar government with an emphasis on Arvand Rud River. With the emergence of the first Pahlavi government, a new border agreement was concluded with the Iraqi government on 13 July 1937. However, the 1316 contract could not satisfy Iran's legal demand based on the Thalweg line. From the 1930s/1950s, the border disputes between the two countries increased, which reached their peak in the 1940s/1960s and led to the cancellation of the 1316 agreement by Iran in 1969.

It is concluded that a series of interconnected and complementary political, economic, military, legal factors, diplomatic links and international developments in the Middle East region caused the formation of the crisis, the continuation of tensions between Tehran and Baghdad, and ultimately the cancellation of this contract.