Iraq launches new threats to invade Kuwait under pressure from Iran

Relations between Kuwait and Iraq are facing a new crisis, this time marked by threats made by Iraqi parliamentarian Ala Al-Haidari to deploy pro-Iranian Popular Mobilisation Forces on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border.

The reasons for these threats appear to be related to the harassment of Iraqi fishermen in the port of Khor Abdullah, still disputed territory between Iraq and Kuwait, by the Kuwaiti authorities. This was enough for MP Ala Al-Haidari, close to the Al-Fateh Alliance and the Iranian-allied Badr Organisation, to accuse Kuwait of "assaulting Iraqi fishermen".

In addition, the Iraqi lawmaker posted a video on his social media in which he called on the Popular Mobilisation Forces to deploy their forces in Khor Abdullah to protect Iraqi fishermen. "I am addressing the Kuwaiti Coast Guard, if they don't behave well, we will do it our way," Al-Haidari said. These statements were accompanied by the publication of sites belonging to militias close to Iran showing manoeuvres in Iraqi territorial waters near Kuwait.

In response to these threats, Kuwaiti Deputy Foreign Minister Madjdi Al-Dhafiri summoned the Iraqi ambassador, Al-Manhal Al-Safi, to protest against these comments and show his rejection of them. "These accusations do not reflect the deep-rooted relations between the two neighbours," the deputy foreign minister said. For his part, Al-Safi stressed that the accusations were false and pointed out that the Kuwaiti Coast Guard had not assaulted the fishermen. He also described as necessary "the existing and continuing cooperation between the Kuwaiti and Iraqi coastal forces to address violations by Iraqi fishermen in Kuwaiti territorial waters".

But these statements have not been enough for Kuwait. Several deputies in the National Assembly have called for a special session to consider the Iraqi threats. In the document they pushed for, the reason for this special session is to "discuss these violations and threats urgently and without delay", as "some Iraqi vessels trespassed and illegally entered Kuwaiti territorial waters", something that coincided with "threats towards Kuwait through statements made by some Iraqi representatives and some political currents and armed militias, and the silence of the Iraqi government on taking any deterrent position".

However, these threats by pro-Iranian politicians and militias are preceded by Iran as part of a process of blackmailing Kuwait over a larger confrontation: the Al-Durra gas field. This gas field has been highly contentious since its discovery in 1967 between Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, as it lies on the joint maritime border.

The Al-Durra crisis was preceded by an agreement between Kuwait and Riyadh last year in which the two countries agreed to work on engineering studies to develop the gas field. This agreement was not so well received by Iran, which was quick to announce its rejection of the deal.

To date, all rounds of dialogue to delimit the maritime boundaries between the two countries have failed, including the 2000 round of talks, when Iran tried to take advantage of the opportunity to start developing the field and extract gas. But Kuwait's threats to sue in international courts stalled Iran's intentions.

But these Iranian threats are not particularly new. Tehran has been using its weapons to pressure other countries, such as the missile attacks launched by some militias against oil installations in the Kurdistan region to boost its oil exports to Turkey and Europe.