ISTANBUL: Iran is ready to sign a new agreement with Iraq to replace the 1937 Shatt-al-Arab agreement “whenever the Iraqis are ready to start talks” Iranian Prime Minister Amir Abbas Hoveida said here yesterday [June 14].

He added that the earlier agreement had been signed “under pressure from an imperialist Power” and although his country had abided by it for 32 years they no longer considered it valid.

Mr Hoveida, who began an official visit to Turkey on Tuesday, described the navigation dispute over the Shatt-al-Arab as “a mere border dispute”. He said that when Britain withdrew from the Persian Gulf area, Iran did not want to see her replaced by the United States, the Soviet Union or any other power. Asked at a Press conference whether Turkey had offered to mediate in the Shatt-al-Arab dispute, Mr Hoveida said the Turkish view had been put to Iran “as from our oldest friend”, but he would not describe this as the action of an intermediary.

Turning to economic affairs, Mr Hoveida stated that Iran greatly desired to see the building of a pipeline linking the oilfields of the southern region of Ahwaz with the Mediterranean.

Published in Dawn, June 16th, 2019