East Timor contest the
sovereignty of the uninhabited coral island of Palau Batek/Fatu
Sinai, which hinders a decision on a northern maritime boundary; a
1997 treaty between Indonesia and Australia settled some parts of
their maritime boundary but outstanding issues remain; ICJ's award
of Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in 2002 left maritime
boundary in the hydrocarbon-rich Celebes Sea in dispute, culminating
in hostile confrontations in March 2005 over concessions to the
Ambalat oil block; the ICJ decision has prompted Indonesia to assert
claims to and to establish a presence on its smaller outer islands;
Indonesia and Singapore pledged in 2005 to finalize their 1973
maritime boundary agreement by defining unresolved areas north of
Batam Island; Indonesian secessionists, squatters, and illegal
migrants create repatriation problems for Papua New Guinea; piracy
remains a problem in the Malacca Strait

Iran
Iran protests Afghanistan's limiting flow of dammed tributaries
to the Helmand River in periods of drought; Iraq's lack of a
maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the
mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Iran and UAE engage
in direct talks and solicit Arab League support to resolve disputes
over Iran's occupation of Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island; Iran
stands alone among littoral states in insisting upon a division of
the Caspian Sea into five equal sectors

Iraq
coalition forces assist Iraqis in monitoring boundary security;
Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction
disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf;
Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq

Ireland
Ireland, Iceland, and the UK dispute Denmark's claim that
the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

Israel
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current
status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement -
permanent status to be determined through further negotiation;
Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier
along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel
announced its intention to pull out Israeli settlers and withdraw
from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the northern West Bank
in 2005; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied (Lebanon claims the
Shab'a Farms area of Golan Heights); since