Supreme Court postpones Khor Abdullah verdict until after Arab League Summit

The Federal Supreme Court has postponed its ruling on lawsuits seeking to reverse a controversial 2023 decision that annulled Iraq’s ratification of the Khor Abdullah maritime agreement with Kuwait. The court has rescheduled the hearing for June 22, a date that appears carefully chosen to fall after Baghdad hosts the Arab League Summit next month.

The Khor Abdullah waterway is a narrow maritime passage that curves between Kuwait’s Bubiyan and Warba islands and Iraq’s Al Faw Peninsula. This vital channel serves as Iraq’s sole entry to the Persian Gulf and is critical for the country’s oil exports and commercial imports. The waterway’s strategic importance has made the treaty that regulates its navigation a politically sensitive issue inside Iraq and a matter of continued diplomatic concern between Baghdad and Kuwait.