ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq on Tuesday renewed its commitment to working with neighboring Kuwait and the United Nations regarding missing Kuwaiti nationals from Iraq’s 1990 invasion and property issues, during a Security Council session.

Lukman al-Faily, Iraq’s permanent representative to the UN, delivered the remarks during a UN Security Council session in New York, reaffirming “Iraq’s commitment to ongoing cooperation with the sisterly State of Kuwait, the United Nations, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue the search for missing persons and work toward the recovery of Kuwaiti property,” the foreign ministry said. 

Iraq and Kuwait face unresolved issues over missing Kuwaiti nationals and property from Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

In 2025, Mohamed al-Hassan, then head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), called for efforts to be “redoubled” to locate the remains of around 300 Kuwaitis still missing in Iraq.

During the session, Faily stressed that “Iraq’s commitment to this issue stems from both its international obligations and a humanitarian conviction that the families of the missing have a right to know the fate of their loved ones,” according to the foreign ministry statement. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York last month. 

The two countries agreed to form a joint task force to address outstanding issues between the two countries during the meeting, according to a statement from Zaidi’s office at the time.

The task force will hold ongoing meetings, alternating between Baghdad and Kuwait, until it completes its mission. The measure aims to “resolve outstanding issues and usher in a new phase of cooperation and partnership” between the two countries. 

Faily also “affirmed Iraq’s readiness to resume meetings of the joint Iraqi-Kuwaiti committee tasked with addressing the issue of lost property, including the Kuwaiti national archives” during the Security Council session.

Among the main disputes between Baghdad and Kuwait is the maritime border around the Khor Abdullah channel, which lies between the two countries.

In February, Iraq submitted a map of its maritime zones to the United Nations. Kuwait formally protested the move, saying the Iraqi coordinates encroached on Kuwaiti maritime territory.