The Al-Fakkah Field, also known as ''Jebel Al-Fauqi'' or ''Jebal Al-Fauqi'', is an
oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
located in southern
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
's
Maysan Governorate
, image_map = Maysan in Iraq.svg
, mapsize = 200px
, settlement_type = Governorate
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_t ...
and
Khūzestān Province
Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. The oil field produced prior to the 2003
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
and is part of the Maysan oilfield complex that altogether holds reserve of .
[U.S. Department of Energy - Iraq Country Brief - June 2006](_blank)
The oil field is considered shared but an area of dispute between Iraq and Iran. Iraq unsuccessfully put the oil field up for bidding in 2009.
Iraq and Iran dispute
Iraq and Iran have been in dispute over the Fakkah oil field and other adjacent fields such as the Abu Ghurab, and Buzugan since 2003. In the past, Iraq has accused Iran of "horizontal drilling" in the Fakkah field. This would entail Iran drilling into Iraqi territory to search for oil. The two sides also dispute the precise location of the border. In 2009, Iran had begun to make incursions into a disputed area of the Fakkah field but were often turned away by Iraqi workers.
["Iranian Troops Occupy Oil Field in Iraq, Stoking Tension" – ''Wall Street Journal'' – December 19th, 2009](_blank)
/ref>
On December 18, 2009, about a dozen Iranian troops crossed three hundred yards into Iraq and seized oil well No. 4 in the Fakkah Field, raising the Iranian flag on site. The incident infuriated Iraq who demanded that Iran withdraw. While the Fakkah oil field is considered shared, Iraq considers well No. 4 as theirs. The well was drilled in 1979 and initially produced per day. However, production on the well ceased in 1980 due to the Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
. On December 21, after a series of political negotiations, Iran withdrew from oil well No. 4."Iran army withdraws from Iraqi oil field after talks" – ''Independent'' – December 21st 2009
/ref>
See also
*Iran–Iraq border
The Iran–Iraq border runs for 1,599 km (994 mi) from the tripoint with Turkey in the north down to the Shatt al-Arab (known as Arvand Rud in Iran) waterway and out to the Persian Gulf in the south. Although the boundary was first deter ...
*Yadavaran Field
Yadavaran Field oil field is one of the NIOC Recent Discoveries which is located in Khuzestan, Iran.
The name is new, as the field is made up of two former fields, Koushk (discovered in 2000) and Hosseinieh (discovered in 2002). After researchers ...
References
{{Reflist
Oil fields of Iraq
Oil fields of Iran
Geography of Iran
Oil field disputes
Maysan Governorate
Buildings and structures in Khuzestan Province
Territorial disputes of Iran
Territorial disputes of Iraq
Geography of Khuzestan Province