Press Statement

With reference to the Republic of Iraq’s deposit of its maritime zones map with the United Nations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that Iraqi Government Decision No. (266) of 2025 was based on a number of Iraqi laws, resolutions, and statements related to Iraq’s rights and jurisdiction in its maritime areas, in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the rules of international law.

The Ministry further confirms that the decision to delimit Iraq’s maritime zones was intended to consolidate and complete previous legal procedures related to the Republic of Iraq’s maritime areas into a single document supported by precise coordinates, taking into account developments in the international law of the sea, including the expansion of coastal State jurisdiction.

In this context, the Republic of Iraq underscores that the determination of its maritime zones in accordance with the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea constitutes a sovereign matter in which no State has the right to intervene, while reaffirming the Republic of Iraq’s respect for the relevant provisions and principles of international law.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq
22 February 2026