"Baniyas" Instead of "Hormuz"... Syria Offers Itself as a Safe Passage for Oil to Europe

The Associated Press reported that war-torn Syria has emerged as one of the few calm arenas in the latest chapter of the regional conflict following the US-Israeli war on Iran, noting that "Syrian authorities seized the opportunity to strengthen relations with Arab countries and the West by committing to neutrality since the outbreak of the war."

The agency quoted Obaida Ghadban, an official in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying that Syria has presented itself as a solution to strategic crises in the region, noting that Syria has no interest in allying with either side of the war.

Obaida Ghadban explained that Syria has positioned itself as a safe alternative route for oil exports that could no longer be sent via the Strait of Hormuz, noting that oil shipments are transported by trucks from Iraq to Syria and then shipped to European markets via the Syrian port of Baniyas, thereby bypassing the Strait of Hormuz since Iran closed the strait.