Al-Kaabi: The Algiers Agreement is Illegitimate, and Any Agreement with Iran Regarding Ahwazi Lands is Void

Dr. Aref Al-Kaabi, the head of the Executive Committee of the State of Ahwaz, has reiterated his firm rejection of reviving the Algiers Agreement signed between Iraq and Iran in 1975.

The agreement was signed under Algerian mediation between then-Iraqi Vice President Saddam Hussein and the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Al-Kaabi emphasized that any discussion by Iraqi officials about returning to this agreement, which effectively ended after the Iran-Iraq war, constitutes an acknowledgment by Iraq that “the Ahwazi side of the Shatt al-Arab belongs to Iran,” a position vehemently rejected by the Ahwazi people. He stressed that Iran has no sovereignty over this land, as Ahwaz is an occupied territory.

Al-Kaabi pointed out that such a stance flagrantly ignores the reality that Ahwaz is Arab land and that Iran has no legal rights or legitimate presence in the region it has occupied since 1925.

In his statement, Al-Kaabi declared that any negotiations between Iraq and Iran concerning the demarcation of maritime boundaries or the formation of joint committees on this matter would be “null and void” and unacceptable to the Ahwazi people and the State of Ahwaz.

He underscored that Iran holds no legal rights over the Shatt al-Arab or Ahwazi lands, considering any agreement reached between Iraq and Iran on this issue to be “invalid.”

Al-Kaabi also noted that the Algiers Agreement itself was signed under exceptional circumstances when the Iraqi government faced a direct threat to national security from Iran, which compelled it to accept the agreement.

He added that “what is built on falsehood is false,” reaffirming that Ahwaz does not recognize any agreements conducted under Iran’s supervision or on its behalf.

Al-Kaabi’s statements came in response to comments made by Turhan Al-Mufti, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Advisor on Water Affairs, who indicated Iran’s adherence to the Algiers Agreement and mentioned Iraq’s need for a “new water agreement” with Iran to address “water scarcity.”

Al-Mufti emphasized that Iraq seeks to reach a solution with Iran regarding shared water resources, which Al-Kaabi viewed as an implicit acknowledgment of Iran’s sovereignty over occupied Arab Ahwaz.

Al-Kaabi further asserted that the Ahwazi people and the Executive Committee of the State of Ahwaz reject any agreements between Baghdad and Tehran concerning Ahwaz, arguing that it is an occupied state and Iran has no right to negotiate over its lands.