evidence: The Shatt al-Arab river is formed by the confluence of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in Iraq. The river constitutes the border between Iraq and Iran on the last 50 miles of the river flowing down to the Persian Gulf (Francona, 2001). Being the only access point of Iraq to the Persian Gulf, the Shatt al-Arab has a strategic importance for the country’s transportation and exports. Moreover, given the arid climate in this part of the Middle East, the water from the river is crucial for agriculture (ICE, 1998). [...] In addition, the Shatt al-Arab symbolises a cultural and historical line between both countries, being a boundary between Persians under a Shia government and Arabs under a Sunni government (ICE, 1998). It was also a point of contention between the Ottoman and Persian empires for centuries as both empires sought to gain control of the river (Francona, 2001).