Trump announces the opening of the oil route through Syria as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz

Trump explained that the road through Syria is already open, adding that trucks transport oil through Syrian territory, referring to the path that connects Iraq to the Syrian coast and the Mediterranean Sea.

The US President's statements come at a time when Damascus seeks to exploit its geographical location in establishing a land corridor for energy and trade, in light of the continued disruption of navigation traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which represents one of the most important energy transport corridors in the world.

According to recent reports, thousands of trucks have begun moving across Iraqi and Syrian territory to transport oil and fuel towards Syrian ports on the Mediterranean, on a route that provides Iraq with an alternative outlet to the southern export routes linked to the Gulf.

The matter is not limited to land transport, as projects are being discussed to rehabilitate pipelines linking Iraqi oil fields to the Syrian coast, including the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline project, which could transform the Syrian route in the future into a major corridor for exporting Iraqi oil towards the Mediterranean.

Observers believe that the importance of the project goes beyond the economic aspect, as the establishment of land routes and alternative pipelines from Iraq to the Mediterranean may give the countries of the region an additional option to export energy away from the Strait of Hormuz, and reduce the impact of any disruption to shipping traffic through it.

In this context, Trump considered that the Strait of Hormuz is not what it was before, referring to the changes that have occurred in the routes of energy and trade transportation since the outbreak of the navigation crisis in the region, and the emergence of alternative routes through Syria, Jordan, and others.

Syria seeks to restore its historical role as a corridor linking Iraq to the Mediterranean Sea, while proposing projects in the fields of oil, gas, roads, railways, and ports. Its geographical location allows Iraq to be linked to Turkey and Europe on the one hand, and to the ports of the Mediterranean on the other hand.