Nasser Kanaani, who made the remarks in a press conference, added Iran has voiced its readiness to hold legal talks with Kuwait.

Asked about Saudi Arabia’s recent statement claiming the field falls under “joint ownership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State of Kuwait, and they alone have full rights”, he implicitly rejected the Saudi claim, putting the emphasis on settlement of Iran-Kuwait dispute.

Iran is willing to settle the issue through expert-level and legal talks and within the framework of neighborly relations calmly, and not through media, Kanaani mentioned.

Owji remarks

Last week, Oil Minister Javad Owji said Iran will not retreat “an iota” from its right to exploit the joint Arash gas field in the Persian Gulf.

The minister added several oil and gas fields are shared between Iran and its neighboring states and joint exploitation of these fields is underway through reaching an understanding.

Regarding the Arash gas field shared between Iran and Kuwait, he said, “We have told Kuwait that we are ready to jointly exploit the field like other shared fields and the Islamic Republic has an inalienable right to it.”

Owji underlined if Kuwait shuns cooperation, Iran knows what to do and will not back down “an iota” on its right.

U.S. military buildup

Touching upon the buildup of U.S. forces in the Strait of Hormuz and speculations on the increase in the military tension between Tehran and Washington, Kanaani underlined that Iran gives top priority to establishing security in waterways and ensuring safety of shipping in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman.

He said the issue must be addressed through cooperation of the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman littoral states, adding these countries are capable of jointly providing the region and shipping in this vast strategic waterway with security without any foreign and extra-regional intervention.