Iraq and Syria plan to revive pipeline as Hormuz bypass

Iraq and Syria signed a Washington pact to rebuild the 700,000-barrel-per-day Kirkuk–Syria oil pipeline, offering an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz and reducing Baghdad’s reliance on Basra; the line has been shut since 2003. Gulf states are expanding pipeline capacity to hedge Hormuz risks, but analysts warn that pipelines alone cannot eliminate the broader threat Iran poses to energy infrastructure.