Caspian Sea Convention: The Reasons behind Iran’s Landmark Agreement

On August 12, 2018 Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Iran reached an agreement on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, facilitating new oil and gas extraction and pipelines. The dispute was settled referring to the Caspian as a sea (not a lake) with “a special legal status”. The reason behind the prolongation of the sign for more than two decades was mainly Iran’s firm stance on division of Caspian Sea to five equal parts which was opposed by four other littoral states. This paper argues that the decisive factor in determination of the status of Caspian Sea was Iran’s formal abandonment of its position on equal partition of Caspian Sea which enabled the Aktau agreement (Kazakhstan) and indicates the crucial changes Iran’s foreign policy. The Aktau agreement has clearly demonstrated that at present Iran gives priority to security and geopolitical issues more than mere economic gains.

 Keywords: Iran, Russia, Central Asia, Caspian Sea, Caspian Sea convention, Security.