Syria Sees Profit in Offering Alternatives to Strait of Hormuz

Syria is trying to turn a regional crisis into an economic reset. With the Strait of Hormuz shut during the latest Middle East war, oil and goods from Iraq and Gulf states are being rerouted overland to Syrian Mediterranean ports, Raja Abdulrahim reports for the New York Times from Damascus. Officials say hundreds of Iraqi oil tankers now cross daily toward Baniyas, and the country is pitching itself as a long-term alternative corridor connecting the Gulf and Central Asia to Europe. The government is also reviving mothballed routes like the Arab Gas Pipeline and pushing to reopen crossings such as al-Tanf, even in makeshift fashion.

The catch: Syria's infrastructure was shattered by nearly 14 years of civil war and a reconstruction bill that the World Bank pegs at more than $200 billion. Power, water, and storage are short; the banking system still operates under terrorism-related restrictions; and investors remain wary of political instability and stalled projects. Yet Emirati businesses are eyeing multibillion-dollar ventures, and US policy is backing some regional energy links. For more, including on-the-ground detail, read Abdulrahim's Times report here.