TEHRAN – Iran’s new ambassador to Kuwait, Mohammad Totonchi, has presented a copy of his credentials to Kuwait’s top diplomat.

Totonchi has become Iran’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary amid strained relations between Iran and Kuwait over a shared gas field in the Persian Gulf. 

Totonchi presented his credentials to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah on Thursday. 

In the meeting, the Kuwaiti foreign minister congratulated Mohammad Totonchi on his new position as the new ambassador of Iran in Kuwait and expressed hope that his term of office will witness the strengthening and deepening of friendly relations between the two countries.

He also emphasized the development of political and economic cooperation between Kuwait and Iran and called for the strengthening of bilateral relations.

Al-Sabah conveyed the greetings of the Kuwaiti leadership to the Iranian one. “In Kuwait, we seek two goals: one is to strengthen relations with friendly countries and the second is to stabilize the security and stability of the region,” he said, according to Tasnim.

The newly-appointed Iranian ambassador pointed to the friendly and long-standing relations between the two friendly and brotherly nations of Iran and Kuwait and stressed the maximum effort during his tenure in Kuwait to promote bilateral relations in all fields.

Pointing to the importance of the necessity of continuing the political consultations of the high officials of the two countries, the parties also reviewed the latest state of bilateral cooperation, especially the solution of providing facilities and visas to Iranian and Kuwaiti nationals.

Totonchi also presented an invitation from Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian to his Kuwaiti counterpart to visit Iran.

Totonchi arrived in Kuwait in late July after holding a meeting with President Ebrahim Raisi together with other ambassadors. He also met with Amir Abdollahian before heading to Kuwait. 
Iran and Kuwait have been locked in a dispute over the shared Arash gas field in the Persian Gulf. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have said that has no share in this field while Iran continues to insist that has a share in the field. 

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji said on Wednesday that Iran has let Kuwait know that it will tap into the Arash gas field even if the Arab country decides to shun cooperation.

Owji warned that Iran will not give up any of its rights when it comes to its rightfully-owned natural resources in the joint field.