CASE CONCERNING OIL PLATFORMS
(Islamic Republic oflran v. United States of America)
COMMENTS OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN ON THE REPLIES
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO THE QUESTIONS PUT
BY JUDGE AL-KHASA WNEH AND JUDGE AD HOC RIGAUX
FIRST QUESTION OF JUDGE AL-KHASA WNEH TO THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA:
"ln the opinion of counsel of the United States, arc the concepts of lex specialis, on the
one band, and self-contained régimes, on the other, synonymous? If not, what are the
differences between them? This question is of course in relation to the 1955 Treaty."
Iran's position on this question was set out in oral argument: see CR 2003/16, 3 March 2003,
3 p.m. at pp. 11-13 (Professor Crawford). Nothing said by the United States in its reply to
Judge AI-Khasawneh's question requires any modification whatever to the position already set
out. Iran would only make three pointsasto the United States' reply.
First, it notes that the United States does not now argue that the Treatyf Amity is a "self
contained régime". That term was in fact used by Professor Weil in the United States' first
round presentation: CR 2003/12, p. 18, para. 17.20. But whatever difficulties attend the notion
of a "self-contained régime", it is quite clear that it has nothing to do with the present case.
The Treaty of Amity is a normal bilateral treaty to be interpreted and applied in accordance
with international law.
Secondly, while it is true that the Treaty of Amity ilex specialis-that is to say, it confers a
specifie setof rights and imposes a specifie set of obligations on the parties in their bilateral
relations - no special significance attaches to thisthe present case. The question whether a
bilateral treaty is a lex specialis - for example vis-à-vis some other treaty or general
international law - has significance where there is sorne potential inconsistency between the
bilateral treaty and the other rulequestion. The matter is "essentially one of interpretation",
as the International Law Commission poiïted out in para. (4) of its commentary to Artic55
of the ILC Articles on Responsibility of States for lnternationally Wrongful Acts, annexed to -2-
GA Resolution 56.83, 12 December 2001. And it is international law which provides the
interpretative matrix for treaties such as the Treaty of Amity. Iran refers again to the approach
taken by the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in cases such as Amoco International
Finance, where the Tribunal, having affirmed that the Treaty of Amity is a lex specialis, went
on to say in the very same paragraph that "the rules of customary law may be useful in order to
fill in possible lacunae of the Treaty, to ascertain the meaning of undefined tenns in its text or,
more generally, to aid interpretation and implementation of its provisions" ((1987) 15 Iran-US
CTR 189 at p. 222, para. 112). In the present case the Court's jurisdiction arises under the
Treaty of Amity, specifically in relation to Article X, paragraph 1, but the Court can apply
international law in interpreting and applying the Treaty. lndeed the Parties appear to agree on
this.
Where they do not agree- and this is lran's third point- is on the implications of this position,
especially as concerns the interpretation of Article XX (l)(d). For Iran, the "essential security"
clause cannat, or at !east should not, be applied so as to legitimize or render lawful under the
Treaty conduct which is contrary to a peremptory norm of general international law, i.e.,
conduct involving the use of force in international relations which goes manifestly beyond the
bounds of self-defence. The Parties to the Treaty of Amity did not intend to allow one Party,
under cover of Article XX (l)(d)- to take military action contrary to the express tenns of the
Treaty in circumstances which "cannat p0ssibly" be justified on the grounds of self-defence.
This is a straightforward point of interpretation which the United States, for ali its use of Latin
phrases, has never faced. Again it is referred to in para. (2) of the ILC's commentary to
Article 55: "States cannat, even as between themselves, provide for legal consequences of a
breach of their mutual obligations which would authorize acts contrary to peremptory norms
of general international law." Yet that is what the United States' reliance on Article XX (l)(d)
would do in the present case. - 3-
SECOND QUESTION OF JUDGE AL-KHASAWNEH TO THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA:
"ln his statement, provided by the United States and contained at tab C9 of the judges'
folders, General Crist explained the reason why a choice was made to attack the oil
platforms as follows: 'Iran could not have attacked U.S. ships without using the oil
platforms as they bad no other offshore mcans to maintain continuous surveillance ovcr
the transit routes, other than on Farsi Island'. Why did the United States choose the
platforms and not the means of surveillance located on Farsi Island?"
The question refers to General Crist's statement that Iran had no offshore means other than the
oil platforms "to maintain continuous surveillance over the transit routes, other than on Farsi
Island".
In order to comment on the United States' answer to the question, it is necessary first to point
out that General Crist's statement is itself inaccurate. As Iran has shown, Iranian military
forces possessed communications facilities and radars al.ongIran's coastline and on its islands,
and such facilities could cover the whole of the Persian Gulf (see Statement of
Mr. Mokhlessian, Iran's Reply, Vol. VI). In particular, Iran's coastline and islands were
equipped with various alert radars with long distance stand-by performance, which could
detect and track any vesse! movement in the Persian Gulf. Other radar equipment and
electronic detection systems were installedin aircraft and on warships. These facts have not
been disputed by the United States.
Confirmation of the fact that Iranian islands other thari Farsi Island were equipped with radar
may be found in the United States' own Exhibits. Thus, Exhibit 114 to the Counter-Memorial
mentions radar posts on Larak, Abu Musa, Hengam, Sirrik and Sirri Islands in the First Naval
District alone. In addition, Iran had placed radar facilities on the islands ofTonb, Qeshm and
Kharg.
As regards the choice of the oil platforms as a target for"U.S. action, rather than Farsi Island or
indeed any other radar facilities possessed by Iran, the United States' answer is contradicted by
the facts. Iran has already shown not only that the radar on the Reshadat complex was
unsophisticated and in astate of disrepair, but that this radar was located on the R-4 platform. -4-
However, the initial target was the R-7 platform, which did not have a radar, and the R-4
platform was described by the United States as an "unexpected 'targetof opportunity"'which
had not been planned (see Iran'sReply, paras. 4.80 et seq. and Iran'sMemorial, Exhibit 69).
There were no radar facilities on either the Salman or Nasr platforms, and the United States,
whose forces boarded the Salman platforms and would thus have been in a position to
ascèrtain what equipment was present, has not alleged otherwise. Moreover, the United
States' acknowledgement that the waters around the platforms were not mined (paragraph 5 of
itsanswer) is further confirmation oftheir non-offensive status.
Finally, in its response to this question, the Stated ~asagain alleged that "more Iranian
attackson shipping took place within radar range of Iran's platforms than took place within
radar range of Farsi Island". This ignores the fact that, as the United States' own evidence
shows, the number of attacks alleged to have occurred in the vicinity of the platforms in 1987
and 1988 is insignificant (see U.S. Exhibit 10,p. 41 and Exhibit 2, pp. 19,21 and 23; see also
CR 2003115,p. 31,para. 21). - 5 -
FIRST QUESTION OF JUDGE AD HOC RIGAUX TO BOTH PARTIES:
"What is the legal status of oil platforms constructed by a State on its continental shelf?
What types of jurisdiction are exercise1 over such installations? How does the status of
oil platforms vary depending on whether they are situated within a State's territorial sea
or outside it?"
Iran has no comments on the answer of the United States to this question. - 6-
SECOND QUESTION OF JUDGE AD HOC RIGAUX TO BOTH PARTIES:
"During the war between Iran and Iraq was Kuwait a neutral state, a non-belligerent
state, or a co-belligerent state with Iraq? Would the response to this question be
different depending on whether it was given during the war or today, bearing in mind
the additional information now available?"
In its response to this question, the United States has failed to draw any distinction between a
neutra) State complying with its corresponding obligations and a so-called non-belligerent
State. As Iran has already noted in its own response, the expression "non-belligerent" has been
used to describe a situation where atate, while formally neutra) because it is not a party to
the conflict, has violated the obligations of abstention and impartiality incumbent upon a
neutral.
Kuwait's actions during the conflict, which have been documented by Iran, demonstrate that
Kuwait did not respect its obligations as a neutral. The evidence provided by Iran also
demonstrates that Kuwait's non-neutra) actions were public knowledge at the time (see in
particular Iran's Reply, paras. 2.12 - 2.16; the Freedman Report annexed to Iran's Reply in
Vol. II; Iran's Further Response, paras. 3.23- 3.27; and the evidence referred to therein).
As Iran has already noted in its own response to this question, a State is either a party to a
conflict orit is not. The Diplomatie Note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of
Kuwait, attached to the United States' response, merely reflects Kuwait's formai status as a
non-party. This Note must be read in the light of various statements made by high Kuwaiti
officiais, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in the early 1990s, which are attached to
Iran's Reply as Exhibit 13.i those statements acknowledge Kuwait's support for Iraq during
the conflict, which was clearly in violation oobliga~ oio nestral.
Comments of Iran on the Replies of the United States to the questions put by Judges Al-Khasawneh and Rigaux