Petroleum University of Technology Petroleum Business Review 2645-4726 9 4 2025 10 01 Procedural Management in International Arbitration: The Necessity of Bifurcation in Oil & Gas Disputes 64 74 228540 10.22050/pbr.2025.527266.1396 EN Seyed Mohammad Hassan Razavi Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 0000-0002-8424-3610 Saman Mohammadian LLM In International Commercial and Economic Law, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 0009-0009-8533-3886 Journal Article 2025 06 06 Bifurcation constitutes a procedural mechanism in arbitration whereby complex disputes are segmented into separate and distinct issues to be addressed individually over the course of the proceedings. This stratification enables a more organized and methodical approach, commonly by isolating jurisdictional questions from the substantive merits of the case. Through the division of the dispute into discrete phases, bifurcation enhances procedural efficiency, allowing the parties to focus their efforts on pivotal matters while avoiding unnecessary expenditure of time and resources on ancillary issues. As a result, this mechanism often contributes to notable reductions in both the duration and overall cost of the arbitral process.<br><br>In determining whether to bifurcate proceedings, arbitral tribunals assess key criteria: the preliminary objection must demonstrate substantive merit, be capable of adjudication independently of the merits, and possess the potential to resolve the dispute conclusively.<br><br>The tribunal’s decision to implement this procedural tool ultimately depends on the specific facts and prevailing circumstances of the case. https://pbr.put.ac.ir/article_228540_a9e7f39a7f905627de49c380d7ad3c04.pdf