Oil Companies in Iran and the Problem of Diplomatic Protection

This essay is an attempt to answer the question of whether Iran as the national State of shareholders has a right to protect companies, whose place of incorporation is a foreign state, but its headquarter and place of business is in Iran.  To this end, the decisions of the International Court of Justice and those of the International Tribunal, the views and opinions of national and international lawyers, the bilateral investment agreements and some national legislations are examined and thereupon it is concluded that because of the existence of a genuine and effective link between Iran and the companies under examination the former has the right to protect the latter.