Some background on a growing conflict between Iraq and Kuwait:
Some background on a growing conflict between Iraq and Kuwait:
Imagine a country that is almost entirely landlocked, save for one tiny "mouth" that lets it reach the ocean. This is the Khor Abdullah, a narrow waterway that serves as the only real highway for Iraq’s massive oil exports and its dreams of becoming a global trade hub. The core of the problem is that this vital "highway" is being squeezed by neighbors who have claimed the deepest, most usable parts of the water for themselves, leaving the Iraqi side shallow and difficult to navigate.
The current map was largely drawn by the United Nations in the early 1990s, after the Gulf War, at a time when Iraq was internationally isolated and had no voice in the room. This resulted in a border that many locals feel was designed to punish the country, effectively pushing its maritime access into a corner. To make matters worse, Kuwait is building a massive new port right next door, which many fear will act like a physical wall, blocking the Grand Faw Port—Iraq's multibillion-dollar project meant to fix its struggling economy.
In 2023, Iraq’s highest court stepped in and threw out a major 2012 agreement that was supposed to manage this waterway. The court argued the deal was illegal because it was rushed through without proper approval, but the deeper issue is that the agreement forced Iraqi ships to essentially ask for permission and pay fees to sail through waters they have used for centuries. By canceling the deal, the court was pushing back against what many see as a slow-motion attempt to choke off the country's access to the sea.
Ultimately, this isn't just a boring debate about lines on a map; it's about whether Iraq can ever truly be an independent economic power. If it loses control over its only exit to the Persian Gulf, it remains at the mercy of its neighbors for every barrel of oil it sells and every shipment of food it brings in.
Renegotiating these boundaries is seen as the only way to ensure the country isn't permanently "suffocated" by a lopsided deal made decades ago.
Of course, the usual suspects, the US, aligned Gulf States, are lining up to support Kuwait's claims.
Source: Telegram "EastCalling"