Agreement concerning Sovereignty
over the Islands of Farsi and Arabi and
the Delimitation of the Continental Shelf between Iran and Saudi Arabia

The Imperial Government of Iran, represented by H.E. Dr. Manouchehr Eqbal, Chairman and Managing Director of the National Iranian Oil Company, on the one hand and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by H.E. Shaikh Ahmad Zaki Al-Yamani, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, on the other:
Desirous of settling the dispute between them with regard to the right of sovereignty over the islands of Farsi and Arabi: and
Desirous also of determining accurately and equitably in accordance with the principles of international law the boundary separating the areas of seabed concerned over which each of the two parties have sovereignty rights:
Therefore considering the legal principles and the special conditions; and after exchanging documentation, have agreed as follows:

Article 1
The two sides reciprocally recognize officially the right of sovereignty of Iran over the island of Farsi and that of Saudi Arabia over the island of Arabi. Each of the islands shall have a belt of territorial water twelve nautical miles broad calculated from the low water line of each island.
In the area where the territorial belts overlap, a boundary line shall be drawn to separate territorial waters of the two islands equidistant at all points from the low water lines of the two islands.

Article 2
The boundary line dividing that portion of the seabed pertaining to Iran from the part pertaining to Saudi Arabia shall be constructed as set out below.
The two sides reciprocally recognize officially each other's sovereignty over those parts of the seabed and subsoil divided by the above line for the purpose of the exploration for and exploitation of the natural resources of that area

Article 3
The boundary line mentioned in Article 2 above shall be constructed as follows:
(a) Except the vicinity of the islands of Farsi and Arabi, the boundary line shall consist of straight lines between the following points, the latitude of each being given:

Point Lat. North Long. East
1 27 ‹10'00" 50 ‹54'00"
2 27 ‹18'05" 50 ‹45'05"
3 27 ‹26'05" 50 ‹37'00"
4 27 ‹56'05" 50 ‹17'05"
5 28 ‹08'05" 50 ‹06'05"
6 28 ‹17'06" 49 ‹56'02"
7 28 ‹21'00" 49 ‹50'09"
8 28 ‹24'07" 49 ‹47'08"
9 28 ‹24'04" 49 ‹47'04"
10 28 ‹27'09" 49 ‹42'00"
11 28 ‹34'08" 49 ‹39'07"
12 28 ‹37'02" 49 ‹36'05"
13 28 ‹40'09" 49 ‹33'05"
14 28 ‹41'03" 49 ‹34'03"

(b) In the vicinity. of the islands of Farsi and Arabi a line shall be constructed as set out below:-
From the point at which the line referred to in (a) cuts the edge of the belt of territorial sea round the island of Farsi, the boundary line shall continue along the edge of the belt on the side facing towards Saudi Arabia until it meets the boundary line referred to in Article 1 which divides the territorial seas of the islands of Farsi and Arabi and thence continue eastwards in the direction of the line referred to until it cuts the edge of the belt of territorial sea around the island of Arabi and thence continue along the edge of the belt referred to on the side facing towards Iran until it again cuts the boundary line set out in (a),
The Chart prepared by the Cartographical Institute of the American Army Engineering Corps in 1966 has been used and will apply for calculating the points described above and the boundary line will be drawn on a signed copy of the Chart referred to and annexed to this Agreement.

Article 4
Each of the two parties agrees that within an area 500 metres wide on either side of the line referred to in Article 3 and for the whole length of this line, can that part of the seabed no drilling for oil shall take place either directly or through contractors licensed by either party. This area shall be measured from the boundary line referred to above.

Article 5
This Agreement has been prepared in two copies in the Persian and Arabic languages, each of which shall be equally authoritative. An English translation of the Agreement has also been signed by the two parties and is annexed.
This Agreement will come into effect from the date of exchange of instruments of ratification which shall be carried out at Jedda as soon as possible.
In the above circumstances the above-mentioned representatives of the two sovereign Governments have been given full powers to sign this Agreement.

Signed in Tehran on 2 Aban, 1347, equivalent to 2 Sha'ban, 1388 and 24 October, 1968

Albaharna, 387-389