evidence: Maritime Boundaries in the Northern GulfIn January 2000, Iran began drilling in the Dorra gas field in the Persian Gulf in an area claimed by both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, only to stop three months later in response to their protests. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia concluded an agreement in July 2000 demarcating their maritime border. The accord gives Kuwait sovereignty over the islands of Umm al-Maradim and Quruh with a one-mile radius around each. Submarine gas reserves, estimated at 370 billion cubic meters, will continue to be shared between the two nations. For its part, Iraq protested the SaudiKuwaiti agreement, announcing that it will not recognize any deal that does not take into account the territorial rights of Iraq.