Iran is isolating itself

The border between Iraq and Iran has changed many times in modern history. The 1847 Treaty of Erzurum between the Ottoman Empire and the Persians stated that both banks of the Shatt Al Arab waterway would fall under Ottoman authority (Iraq at the time was part of the Ottoman Empire).

In 1911, the two parties signed another protocol. The protocol's third article re-confirmed the legitimacy of the Erzurum treaty.

After the Iraqi state was established, Iraq and Iran signed another friendship and border treaty in 1937. The new treaty confirmed Iraq's sovereignty over the Shatt Al Arab, except for a seven-kilometre long strip facing the Iranian city of Abadan.

However, border disagreements between Iraq and Iran came to a head in 1969, when Iran unilaterally announced the cancellation of the 1937 treaty, and demanded that the middle of the waterway (the Talouk line) be made the border separating the two countries.

Differences further escalated after Iran occupied Qaws Al Zain, Bir Ali and Al Shagrah, all of which belonged to Iraq, in 1972. Iran further antagonised Iraq by backing the armed Kurdish movement in northern Iraq, thus pressuring Iraq and undermining its ability to negotiate, which consequently led to the unfair Algiers Agreement of 1975.

The 1980 Iran-Iraq War started after Iraq unilaterally cancelled the Algiers Agreement of 1975. Over the war's eight years, both countries suffered great losses and citizens on both sides lost rights that were never returned.

Today, these unresolved problems are behind a new phase of border disputes between the two countries. And despite the fact that skirmishes take place daily on the border, Iraq tries to downplay them.

Seizure

However, some of these incidents are reported in the media, such as the continuous shelling of Kurdish villages in Kurdistan, the occupation of the Umm Al Rasas island in the Shatt Al Arab, Iran's requesting the Iraqi government to pull out of Khour Al Emmayah on the pretext that the Khour is situated in Iranian waters and the seizure of the Al Fakkah oil well, part of the Iraqi Al Fakkah oil field, on the assumption that it is situated on Iranian soil.

This latest move took place at the same time that Iranian officials have been demanding that Iraq pay $1 trillion (Dh3.6 trillion) in war compensation, as though Iraq were solely responsible for the eight-year war that took place between the two countries.

Most of the border disputes that were negotiated in the numerous agreements between Iraq and Iran were about the Shatt Al Arab waterway. Land border disputes are seldom discussed.

The recent statement by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari about the existence of great disputes between Iraq and Iran concerning the demarcation of both land and water borders showed that Iraq acknowledges there is a problem.

The latest invasion of an oil well received widespread media attention in Iraq and abroad and embarrassed the Iraqi government to a great extent.

Iraq's security situation is complicated and entangled with many issues. Baghdad has accused several neighbouring countries of interfering in its internal affairs. However, Iran's interferences are a touchy subject that Iraqi officials seldom address.

The seizure of an oil well forced the Iraqi government to speak out in an effort to control the situation and to reassure the Iraqi public. Even then, the Iraqis were careful not to condemn Iran. Some went a step further, sympathising with Iran's demands and stating that some oil fields were jointly owned — something that seems extremely unlikely and was never raised during previous negotiations.

The US was equally embarrassed by the Iranian occupation, as several question marks were raised about the validity of its security agreement with Iraq. Iran has in fact challenged the US, and is trying to gauge its reaction. However, in harassing Iraq, Iran has put itself in a position that will not serve its interests. Occupying land that belongs to another country will further isolate Iran in the region.

Dr Mohammad Akef Jamal is an Iraqi writer based in Dubai.