Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Syrian Minister of Energy Mohammed al-Bashir said that Syria has signed an agreement with a consortium of companies to replace the aging Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline in collaboration with Iraq.
Al-Bashir made his remarks during a hearing in the Syrian parliament, where he emphasized Syria and Iraq are working on strategic projects, according to local news outlet Shafaq News.
Syria could secure transit fees and priority access to oil purchases via this pipeline, according to al-Bashir.
In June, former Iraqi Ambassador to the United States, Nizar al-Khairallah, and Syrian chargé d’affaires in Washington, Mohammad Qanatari, confirmed that the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline is being revived to export one million barrels of Iraqi oil per day.
Al-Khairallah indicated that the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline’s capacity might be extended to one million barrels per day, highlighting the ambition to broaden the collaboration to include gas and electricity.
The Iraqi diplomat viewed the proposal as a genuine opportunity arising from the present maritime difficulties facing ships in the Strait of Hormuz. He stated that steps have already been taken to revive the ancient 800-kilometer Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline, which was built in 1952 and had previously been destroyed because of instability.
The Iraqi ambassador clarified that a specialized team traveled to Damascus in 2025 to discuss the technical and financial details of the pipeline’s rehabilitation. He added that the expected cost of the project has reached $8 billion.
Damascus and Baghdad are making progress to rehabilitate the line, which would provide Iraq with direct access to European markets through the Mediterranean.
The initiative, supported by a partnership including US-based Chevron, aims to minimize dependency on the Strait of Hormuz, which has been closed due to the conflict between Iran and the United States.
