Syria takes advantage of its geographical location to open oil and gas transportation routes, hoping to restore its position as a "Middle East gateway" to replace the Hormuz choke point.
In the Al-Qaryatayn region of Syria, tank convoys are rolling day and night on the road across the desert heading west, bringing oil from Iraq to the port of Baniyas on the Mediterranean coast. This shipping route was formed in April, when Iraq found another way to export oil because the Strait of Hormuz was blocked by Iran.
The bustling flow of vehicles through this desolate land partly reveals the development orientation of the administration of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who wants to rely on geographical advantages to restore Syria's role as a "Middle East gateway".
Syria's efforts are receiving support from the US, because many of Washington's allies in the Gulf are also looking to reduce their dependence on the lifeline of Hormuz. "Syria wants to become an alternative route for the Strait of Hormuz. This is great," President Donald Trump wrote on social networks on September 3.
To help Syria soon realize its goal, the Trump administration in July announced support for a pipeline project led by US oil and gas corporation Chevron, connecting the city of Basrah, Iraq with Baniyas along a corridor similar to the current truck route.
The pipeline is expected to be about 1,600 km long, worth $5.7 billion and have a capacity to transport two million barrels of oil per day. The project takes two and a half years to complete and cannot completely replace shipping through Hormuz, but will give Iraqi exporters another route to get oil to market.
When announcing the project with Syrian and Iraqi officials, US special envoy Tom Barrack said the pipeline could make the Strait of Hormuz "a non-issue."
Deputy Director of the Syrian State Petroleum Corporation (SPC) Ahmad Qubbaji said the contract is expected to be signed in September and SPC will be in charge of operating the system. The parties are discussing security plans and the US will also help ensure the safety of this project.
"It's still an American project," Mr. Qubbaji said. "Every day there are 5,000 trucks coming here from Iraq without any security incidents."
President Sharaa's administration also aims for bigger goals. Mr. Qubbaji discussed with Qatari officials about the possibility of extending the pipeline to this country. Doha has also expressed interest in building another pipeline across Syria to transport liquefied natural gas to Baniyas.
"Kuwait and Bahrain may also be interested in connecting to the Iraq-Syria pipeline to export oil across the Mediterranean," said Mohamad Ahmad, an economist and energy expert at Karam Shaar Advisory, a consulting firm specializing in Syria.
Other Middle East oil export centers such as Saudi Arabia are also facing difficult problems. After Hormuz was blockaded, Riyadh began redirecting oil toward the Red Sea. However, Houthi forces in Yemen, backed by Iran, have also threatened maritime activities in the area.
"This is the first time we have seen such a crisis. I think the most important route for all will be through the Mediterranean," Mr. Ahmad said.
Syrian officials say the country's potential to become a regional transit hub is not limited to oil and gas.
Syria recently signed an agreement with Türkiye and Saudi Arabia to restore an Ottoman-era railway line. This line will connect Europe with the Red Sea region through Syria, creating an alternative to the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Suez Canal. Syria and Iraq have also signed agreements to facilitate trucks transporting goods from the Gulf to Europe.
"All energy sources in the world can go through Syria. We can build pipelines, roads and all kinds of transit," Mr. Qubbaji said.
Geographic location has long been an advantage for Syria. The capital Damascus and the city of Aleppo were once located on trade routes connecting East and West, where goods from many regions passed before reaching other markets. Sharaa's administration is seeking to restore that advantage, as international sanctions are eased and Damascus's relations with several countries improve.
But when traveling along the planned route of the pipeline, traces of war are still clearly visible. A giant pumping station near the Iraqi border on the Iraq-Syria pipeline that was captured by self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) rebels in the 1950s and then destroyed by US airstrikes is still in ruins.
The Syrian army is clearing remaining bombs and mines in the desert area near Iraq's Anbar province. Meanwhile, remnants of IS rebels hiding in the desert still occasionally carry out attacks on government forces.
Energy expert Gabriel Mitchell at the GMF policy institute warned that security would be the top challenge for any pipeline passing through Syria. The pipeline could be vulnerable to attacks by armed groups, while it is a multi-billion dollar investment with a life cycle of about 30 years.
According to Mr. Mitchell, the question is who will ensure security, how to insure the project and what happens if the fighting in Hormuz ends and oil and gas companies no longer want to invest too much money in a new pipeline.
Security is not the only obstacle. The 14-year civil war has left huge gaps in Syria's energy industry. Oil fields, roads, factories and transportation systems have all suffered damage or been underinvested in for long periods of time.
The transportation system also has not met new expectations. Iraqi drivers transporting oil to Baniyas said Syrian roads are full of potholes and of significantly poorer quality than roads in Iraq. The rapid increase in the number of trucks also causes accidents to occur frequently.
At a checkpoint in Al-Qaryatayn, Syrian security officer Abu Ahmad, 39, was in charge of signaling tankers and cars in all directions, west to the Mediterranean, east to the Persian Gulf, north to Turkey and south to Jordan.
Ten years ago, Ahmad was a fighter with the opposition Free Syrian Army deployed in Al-Qaryatayn to fight "all other parties". At that time, driving civilian cars through the area was already dangerous, not to mention valuable oil tanker convoys.
"Thank God, it's all over," Ahmad said. Now, he understood why this place was once a battlefield where both sides fought fiercely. "We are at the crossroads of the Middle East."
