The Iranian Foreign Ministry said that the agreement between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to develop the Dorra natural gas field is illegal because Tehran participates in the field and must be a party to any action to operate or develop it.
"The Arsh/Durra gas field is a joint field between the countries of Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," the ministry wrote on Twitter.
"There are parts of it in the unspecified waters between Iran and Kuwait. The Islamic Republic reserves the right to exploit the gas field," she added.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh expressed his country's opposition to the Kuwaiti-Saudi agreement, as it contradicts previous negotiations with Kuwait to demarcate the field's borders, according to him.
Iranian media quoted the spokesman as saying that "the recent move by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia within the framework of a cooperation document is contrary to what was previously negotiated and illegal."
Khatibzadeh stated that the announced agreement will not affect the legal status of the field, stressing that it is a joint field between Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, and Tehran has the right to invest in it, and that any action to operate or develop it must be coordinated between the three countries.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman expressed Tehran's readiness to enter into negotiations with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia to demarcate the borders in the field, and to start work on it.
Kuwait has signed a document with Saudi Arabia to develop the Dorra field, which is expected to produce one billion standard cubic feet per day of gas and 84,000 barrels per day of condensate, according to a statement issued last Monday by the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.