U.S. Works With Iraq and Syria to Revive Kirkuk-Baniyas Oil Pipeline, Middle East Eye Reports

The United States is working with Iraq and Syria on a plan to refurbish an old oil pipeline linking Kirkuk in northern Iraq to Baniyas on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, aiming to give Iraq an export route that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. According to Jin10, Middle East Eye cited Iraqi and other regional officials as saying an agreement to restore the roughly 800-kilometer pipeline is expected to be announced during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zaidi’s meeting at the White House with U.S. President Donald Trump next week. The report said the pipeline has been out of service for decades and is currently severely damaged. Citing a senior official, it added that the pipeline will likely need to be rebuilt in its entirety, with construction expected to take two to three years. The report also said a group of U.S. companies has already been recruited to participate in the project.