Arvand Rud: Difference between revisions

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	~~See also~~ ]		#REDIRECT ]

	:''The term "Arvand" may also refer to ] and ].

	{{Infobox_river \| river_name = Shatt al-Arab (Arvandrud)
	\| image_name = Arvand-Iran.JPG
	\| caption = View of the Shatt al-Arab (Arvandrud) from a bridge between ] and ]
	\| origin = ], ] and ]
	\| mouth = ]
	\| basin_countries = ], ]
	\| length =200 km
	\| elevation =
	\| mouth_elevation =0
	\| discharge = 1750 m³/s
	\| watershed =
	}}

	'''Arvand Rūd''' (]: اروندرود, literally ''Arvand River''), also known as the Shatt al-Arab or (]: شط العرب, literally ''Coast of the Arabs''), is a ] in ] of some 200 km in length, formed by the confluence of the ] and the ] in the town of ] in the ] of southern ]. The southern end of the river constitutes the border between Iraq and ] down to the mouth of the river as it discharges into the ]. It varies in width from about 760 feet (232 m) at ] to 0.5 mile (0.8 km) at its mouth. The ] river, a tributary which joins the waterway from the Iranian side, deposits large amounts of ] into the river; this necessitates continuous dredging to keep it navigable. It is thought that the waterway formed relatively recently in geologic time, with the Tigris and Euphrates originally emptying into the ] via a channel further to the west.

	==Territorial disputes==
	For a long time, starting from the ] (559 BC) until the ] in 1747, the river was for most of the time under Persian rule and was called Arvandrud by the Persians{{Fact\|date=May 2007}}.

	Conflicting territorial claims and disputes over navigation rights between Iran and Iraq were among the main factors for the ] that lasted from 1980 to 1988, when the pre-1980 status quo was restored. The Iranian cities of ] and ] and the Iraqi city and major port of ] are situated along this river.

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	Control of the waterway and its use as a border have been a source of contention between the predecessors of the Iranian and Iraqi states since a peace treaty signed in 1639 between the ] and the ]s, which divided the territory according to tribal customs and loyalties, without attempting a rigorous land survey. The tribes on both sides of the lower waterway, however, are ]s, and the Ottoman Empire claimed to represent them. Tensions between the opposing empires that extended across a wide range of religious, cultural and political conflicts, led to the outbreak of hostilities in the ] and eventually yielded the Second Treaty of Erzurum between the two parties, in 1847, after protracted negotiations, which included ] and ]n delegates. Even afterwards, backtracking and disagreements continued, until British Foreign Secretary, ], was moved to comment in 1851 that "the boundary line between ] and ] can never be finally settled except by an arbitrary decision on the part of ] and ]". A ] between the ] and the Persians was signed in Constantinople in 1913, but ] canceled all plans.

	The British advisors in Iraq were able to keep the waterway bi-national under the '']'' principle that has worked in Europe (see ]): the dividing line was the line of steepest descent along the stream bed. All ] attempts to intervene as mediators were rebuffed. Under ], ]ist Iraq claimed the entire waterway up to the Iranian shore as its territory. But in 1975, Iraq signed the ] in which it recognized a series of straight lines closely approximating the thalweg (deepest channel) of the waterway, as the official border. In 1980, Hussein released a statement claiming to abrogate the treaty that he signed, and Iraq invaded Iran. (International law, however, holds in all cases that any bi-lateral or multi-lateral treaty cannot be abrogated by only one party.) The main thrust of the military movement on the ground was across the waterway which was the stage for most of the military battles between the two armies. The waterway was Iraq's only outlet to the Persian Gulf, and thus, its shipping lanes were greatly affected by continuous Iranian attacks. When the ] was captured by the Iranians in 1987, Iraq's shipping activities virtually came to a halt and had to be diverted to other Arab ports, such as Kuwait and even Aqaba, Jordan. Later, and as the ] was looming, Saddam again recognized the Algiers Accord in order to appease Iranians before he could undertake an invasion of ].

	==Recent conflicts==
	In the ], the waterway was a key military target for the Coalition Forces. Since it is the only outlet to the Persian Gulf, its capture was important in delivering humanitarian aid to the rest of the country, and also to stop the flow of illegal smuggling operations. The British ] staged an amphibious assault to capture the key oil installations and shipping docks located at ] on the ] at the onset of the conflict.

	Following the end of the war the UK was given responsibility, subsequently mandated by ] ], to patrol the waterway and the area of the ] surrounding the river mouth. They are tasked to make sure that ships in the area are not being used to transport munitions into Iraq. British forces have also trained Iraqi naval units to take over the responsibility of guarding their waterways.

	On two separate occasions, Iranian forces operating on the Arvandrud/Shatt al-Arab have captured British ] sailors who they claim have trespassed into their territory.
	* In ], several British servicemen were held for ] after purportedly straying into the Iranian side of the waterway. After being initially threatened with prosecution, they were released after high-level conversations between British Foreign Secretary, ], and Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs, ]. The initial hardline approach was put down to power struggles within the Iranian government. The British marines' weapons and boats were confiscated.
	*In 2007, a ] became a major diplomatic crisis between the two nations. It was resolved after thirteen days when the Iranians unexpectedly released the captives under an "amnesty".

	==See also==
	* ]
	* ]
	* ]

	==References==
	{{reflist}}

	==External links==
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Revision as of 02:10, 12 June 2007

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Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud)