The End of the Strait of Hormuz Era?… Washington Unveils Regional Corridors That Could Change the Rules of the Game

US special envoy to Syria and Iraq and ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack revealed regional plans to redraw trade and energy routes in the region, pointing to a broad project aimed at creating a new network of corridors linking Iraq and the Levant with Turkey, Central Asia, and Europe, which could reduce the importance of the Strait of Hormuz as a main energy passage in the coming years.

Barrack said, during his participation in the US-Iraq Business Summit, that the plan being pursued by Iraq in coordination with Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Egypt is based on developing alternative routes for transporting energy and goods, away from complete reliance on narrow maritime passages that have long been a vital artery for global trade.

He explained that the region is moving toward a new model of trade movement based on diversifying supply routes and establishing more flexible land networks and pipelines, instead of relying on a single route that may be affected by security and political crises.

The US envoy noted that the project aims to connect Mesopotamia and the Levant to what is known as the "Middle Corridor," stretching through Turkey and Azerbaijan to Central Asia, opening the way for transporting energy resources, especially gas, to European markets through new routes.

Barrack pointed out that these shifts could help build a different economic and security system in the region, based on cooperation, investment, and trade integration, instead of the conflict and divisions that have marked past decades.

Barrack's remarks come amid growing discussions about alternatives for exporting Iraqi oil, including reviving pipelines linking Iraq to the Syrian Mediterranean coast, in an effort to diversify energy outlets and reduce vulnerability to tensions affecting shipping routes.

Barrack considered that the coming phase may witness a "strategic realignment" in the region, with Iraq serving as the محور of a new economic and security alliance linking the Gulf, Mesopotamia, and the Levant.

He stressed that the required transformation is based on supporting stability and development and building long-term economic partnerships, considering that the region stands before an opportunity to reshape its relations on the basis of shared interests rather than ongoing conflicts.