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🇮🇱 Israel /Energy & Infrastructure

Syria’s Oil Corridor Plans Take Shape as Trump Looks Beyond Hormuz

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Ongoing story
  • U.S. President Donald Trump said Syria serving as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz would be “great” as tensions with Iran rise across the region.
  • Iraq is considering a pipeline through Syria to the Mediterranean, but the project could take four years and cost at least $15 billion.
  • Syria has signed agreements with international energy companies while efforts continue to rehabilitate an older Iraq-Syria pipeline.

Syria is beginning to emerge as a possible alternative route for energy exports as U.S.-Iran tensions put the Strait of Hormuz back at the center of regional calculations. U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social that Syria acting as an alternative to Hormuz would be “great,” after The Washington Post reported that Damascus was seeking a role as a Middle East hub.

The idea carries particular weight as the United States conducts airstrikes and Iran attacks Jordan, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and other countries. Washington has signaled that it does not trust Iran and is not interested in a deal, while reports also indicate that it wants to prevent the conflict from spreading further. Israel, meanwhile, has warned of possible escalation and told Iran not to attack it.

great

· Donald TrumpThe U.S. president described Syria serving as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Against that tense backdrop, plans are advancing to move oil through Syria to the Mediterranean. Reuters reported that Iraq’s proposed pipeline would require about four years to build and cost at least $15 billion. A consortium including Chevron has offered initial support for feasibility studies, according to the report.

Iraq's plans to export oil via a pipeline through Syria to avert future disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz will likely require four years of construction and cost at least $15 billion

· Reuters sourcesSources familiar with the proposed Iraq-Syria oil pipeline described its expected cost and construction timeline.

Syria has also been pursuing energy partnerships. In June, the Syrian Petroleum Company signed an agreement with ConocoPhillips and Novaterra to rehabilitate gas fields and develop a new one. ConocoPhillips separately agreed in July to acquire a 42% interest in BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited, supporting the redevelopment of four producing oil fields in northern Iraq.

An older pipeline, built in 1952, links Iraq’s Kirkuk fields with Baniyas on Syria’s Mediterranean coast. Repairing and restoring it will take time. Until then, energy supplies are being moved by truck. The Washington Post described 5,000 oil trucks crossing the desert each day and night toward the Mediterranean, highlighting the scale of the temporary route.

day and night, 5,000 hulking trucks carrying oil from the Persian Gulf rumble across this stretch of barren desert as if in a caravan snaking its way toward the Mediterranean Sea

· The Washington PostThe description illustrates the current overland movement of oil toward the Mediterranean.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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