Baghdad – Iraq has begun exporting crude oil using tanker trucks through Syrian territory, according to the Iraqi Oil Ministry. Iraq has been particularly affected by the conflict in the Middle East, as oil exports account for about 90% of the country’s budget revenues.
Iraq exports most of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which is nearly closed due to the war between the United States and Israel and Iran. Iraq, like other Arab countries in the region such as Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait, has its only maritime access to the world through the Gulf, where Hormuz is located.
Like other exporters in the oil-rich region, Iraq has been seeking alternative routes. In a statement released on Wednesday night (1), Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it had “begun exporting oil by tanker trucks through neighboring Syria.” According to the statement, Syria “will ensure the safe passage” of the oil and exports will “gradually” increase.
Safwan Sheikh Ahmad, spokesperson for the state-owned Syrian Petroleum Company, said the first shipment entered through the Al-Tanf border crossing from Iraq and that the tanker trucks would be unloaded at the Baniyas terminal for onward export. The Port of Baniyas is located on the Mediterranean coast in Syria.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
