US Initiative to Revive Strategic Iraq-Syria Oil Pipeline

The US administration, under President Donald Trump, is poised to announce a strategic project aimed at reviving the historic oil pipeline linking Kirkuk, Iraq, to Syria's Baniyas port. This initiative, involving the US, Iraq, and Syria, seeks an alternative oil export route, lessening reliance on the Strait of Hormuz. The anticipated agreement will be revealed next week, aligning with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's White House meeting with President Trump. Iraqi and regional officials confirmed these developments. The Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, among the region's oldest, was built in 1952 by the Iraq Petroleum Company, capable of transporting approximately 300,000 barrels daily. Baghdad closed it in the 1980s, and it sustained severe damage following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, rendering it fully inoperable.