ظرفیت‌های حقوقی جهت رفع آثار تحریم سرمایه‌گذاری‌های مشترک ایران با طرف‌های بین المللی در حوزه نفت، گاز و پتروشیمی

احسان  اسدی پور; مصطفی تقی زاده انصاری; سیامک  عموزیدی

Authors

Ehsan Asadipour Department of Law, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9432-3924
Mostafa Taghizadeh Ansari Department of Law, NT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Corresponding author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3379-5164
Siamak Amoozeidi Department of Economics and Islamic Banking, Kharazmi University, Faculty of Economics, Tehran, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0006-1901-0227

Keywords:

sanctions, joint investment, oil and gas, petrochemicals, international law, indirect expropriation, investment arbitration, legal diplomacy

Abstract

Economic sanctions, particularly unilateral and secondary sanctions, have in recent years become one of the most significant obstacles to the development of Iran’s joint investments with international partners in the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors. These sanctions are not limited to the direct prohibition of transactions; rather, by imposing restrictions on banking and insurance systems, technology transfer, financing, transportation, and the performance of contractual obligations, they undermine the practical effectiveness of investment relations. Accordingly, examining legal capacities for mitigating or eliminating the effects of these restrictions is essential to safeguarding Iran’s economic and sovereign interests in the energy sector. Against this background, the present study aims to identify and explain the available legal capacities at the international, domestic, and contractual levels for addressing the effects of sanctions on Iran’s joint investments with foreign partners in the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors. This research employs a descriptive-analytical method and draws on library sources, legal instruments, relevant regulations, and an analysis of the principles governing international law, foreign investment law, and international energy contracts. The findings indicate that although international law alone cannot secure the immediate removal of sanctions, principles and institutions such as the permanent sovereignty of states over natural resources, the principle of non-intervention, pacta sunt servanda, state responsibility, protection of property rights, and the prohibition of indirect expropriation provide the necessary legal basis for bringing claims, seeking compensation, and protecting Iran’s interests. The findings further demonstrate that the most effective approach to countering the effects of sanctions is to rely on a combination of international legal instruments and domestic and contractual mechanisms. Within this framework, incorporating comprehensive sanctions clauses, strengthening arbitration provisions, designing non-dollar payment mechanisms, using escrow accounts, accurately documenting losses, and establishing specialized structures for pursuing legal claims constitute some of the most important measures for reducing the vulnerability of joint energy contracts. Effective mitigation of the effects of sanctions therefore requires an integrated, forward-looking approach grounded in active legal diplomacy.

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