The story: Kuwait is ramping up pressure on Iraq to safeguard a 2012 deal on the demarcation of boundaries in a small but vital waterway. Tensions have escalated after a top Iraqi court earlier this month challenged the agreement, which regulates navigation in the Khor Abdullah passage. 

Apart from Kuwaiti pressure, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states and the US have also urged the demarcation of Iraq-Kuwait maritime boundaries. On the other hand, some observers have linked the timing of the contention to Iran’s parallel dispute with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia over an offshore gas field.

The coverage: Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Sept. 4 ruled that the Iraqi parliament’s 2013 ratification of the 2012 Khor Abdullah agreement was...