Straitjacket or Safety Net? The agreement between Iraq and Syria to rebuild an oil pipeline may alleviate some pressure on the Strait of Hormuz, but its benefits come with their own set of challenges.
The deal, signed at a Chamber of Commerce summit in Washington, brings together two countries with significant oil production capacities.
The proposed pipeline would stretch from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to Syria's Mediterranean coast, effectively bypassing the strategic waterway that has been a point of contention between the US and Iran for decades.