Political analyst Haitham al-Khazali said on Wednesday that Jordan’s attempt to pressure Baghdad into withdrawing its maritime border maps has failed.
He explained that Iraq had already submitted the maps to the United Nations, which officially reviewed them, approved them, and published them on its website after checking their accuracy.
According to Al-Khazali, a recent phone call from Jordan’s foreign minister was a last-minute effort to convince Iraq to pull back the maps. But he said Iraq refused.
He stressed that Baghdad is standing firm on what it sees as its sovereign rights and will not back down.
Al-Khazali also said Jordan has often taken positions that do not support Iraq’s sovereign goals. He added that Iraq will not give up “an inch” of its waters, especially now that the maps are internationally documented.
He pointed to a past example. In 2014, Kuwait deposited its own maps with the United Nations after discussions with Saudi Arabia and Iran about the Al-Durra field. Al-Khazali said Iraq was not informed at the time, even though the area lies within what Baghdad considers its exclusive economic zone.
He described Iraq’s latest move as a legal and natural response to protect and reclaim its rights.
These developments come after the Iraqi government formally submitted baseline coordinates for its territorial waters, along with official maps, to the UN Secretariat in February 2026. The move aims to clearly define Iraq’s rights over its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, especially in sensitive areas like Khor Abdullah and regions beyond border marker 162.
For Baghdad, this is about drawing clear lines — and making sure the world recognizes them.
