An international river is considered, according to the international agreement regulating the exploitation and use of the shared watercourse, as (a watercourse whose parts are located in different countries).
Several countries may share a single watercourse, the most prominent example of which is the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which are among the most important rivers in the Middle East. The countries in whose territory these two rivers flow depend on them to achieve human development. Thus, public international law plays an important role in determining and regulating the ownership of natural resources of the riparian countries within the framework of respecting the sovereignty of each of them in light of the decision of the United Nations General Assembly, which includes the 1997 agreement regulating the non-navigational uses of international watercourses, in addition to being guided by customary rules and bilateral and tripartite international agreements between the countries concerned. Accordingly, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers are considered international rivers according to the international concept (international watercourse).
The riparian states have equal rights over these two international waterways, and no state may monopolize the exploitation of the shared waterway in a way that causes harm or infringement on the rights of other riparian states. Rather, the concerned states should cooperate and share in exploiting the water for collective benefit. It is noted that the upstream states have begun using the waters of international rivers without regard to the rights and interests of the downstream state,