Diversifying routes: Iraq and Syria explore oil exports via Baniyas and Lebanon's Tripoli

 Iraq and Syria are studying proposals to export crude oil through Syria's Baniyas port and Lebanon's Tripoli terminal, Iraq's oil minister said on Tuesday, in a move seen as part of Baghdad's search for alternative export routes amid fears a new Iran–Israel war could disrupt shipments from its southern ports to the Gulf. 

Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Affairs and Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani met Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Bashir in Baghdad to discuss cooperation on oil, gas and power, the oil ministry said in a statement.

Abdul Ghani emphasised the "deep historical relations" between the two nations and the need to diversify Iraq's crude export outlets as production capacity rises.

He noted the historic Iraq–Syria oil pipeline and the importance of restoring or refurbishing it, alongside plans to resume exports through the Kirkuk–Ceyhan oil pipeline and explore new corridors via Baniyas and Tripoli.

In July, The New Arab published an in-depth analysis noting that the proposal to revive the Iraq–Syria–Lebanon oil pipeline, which originates in Kirkuk and terminates in Tripoli, has long been met with scepticism in both Iraq and Lebanon. While Lebanese officials have recently signalled interest in at least a feasibility study, made more plausible by the lifting of US Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, the project faces major technical and financial hurdles.

Tripoli's refinery has been dormant since 1992 and would require costly rehabilitation, while the Syrian section of the pipeline has suffered years of war damage. In Iraq, the idea has stirred political unease, with opposition MPs pressing for clarity on any role Baghdad might play in funding or building a Tripoli refinery.

The energy talks came as much of Iraq was hit by a nationwide power outage on Monday, cutting more than 6,000 megawatts from the grid. Electricity Ministry officials blamed a sudden fault in transmission lines that caused a collapse in national frequency and the automatic shutdown of generating units.

Production Undersecretary Mohammed Nima said power was being restored gradually, and full service was expected within hours. Electricity Minister Ziyad Ali Fadel ordered an investigation into the incident, with findings due within 24 hours.

The blackout struck during a heatwave forecast to last over a week, with temperatures in some regions expected to exceed 50°C. Demand for cooling and ice production has surged, particularly ahead of Thursday's annual Arbaeen pilgrimage, which draws millions of Shia Muslims to the holy city of Karbala to mark the end of a 40-day mourning period for Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Critics seized on the outage to condemn the government's repeated failure to improve summer power supplies despite years of promises. "It is shameful for the government and its chorus of cheerleaders to talk about achievements and successes, while failing miserably to provide electricity or change the deteriorating reality," political scientist Ayad al-Anbar wrote on X.

The northern Iraqi Kurdistan region was spared the outage. The autonomous territory has modernised parts of its power sector and now provides round-the-clock state electricity to about a third of its population, but at a steep price. The Kurdistan Regional Government recently raised tariffs from 19 Iraqi dinars to 75 dinars per kilowatt-hour and higher as consumption increases, a move that has drawn public anger from residents who say they cannot afford it.

Some Iraqi officials have hinted at a similar move nationwide, saying that unless electricity prices rise and smart meters are introduced, blackouts will persist. But with parliamentary elections set for November, neither the government nor political parties are willing to push through such unpopular measures, fearing a backlash at the ballot box.