Bypassing Hormuz: The Middle East's new energy map
The monitoring body TankerTrackers has published data on a shift in the Middle East's energy map: Iraq is transporting oil via tankers through Syria to the Mediterranean, the UAE is doubling the capacity of its pipeline to Oman, and Saudi Arabia is shifting its exports to the Red Sea. According to an analyst, this move renders the Strait of Hormuz obsolete as an Iranian weapon and actually harms Iran's own export capacity.
The maritime monitoring body TankerTrackers published data this week indicating a significant shift in the Middle East's energy map. According to the data, Iraq is shipping over 100,000 barrels of oil per day via tankers through Syria to Mediterranean ports. The UAE is expected to double the capacity of its transcontinental oil pipeline towards Fujairah on the coast of the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia is moving most of its oil exports westward to the Red Sea via Yanbu. Analyst Lt. Col. (res.) Amit Yagur argues that Iran, by its own hand, has rendered the Strait of Hormuz obsolete as a strategic weapon. Its actions in the recent war created a broad infrastructural counter-response by neighboring countries, which bypassed the strait. While Saudi Arabia and the UAE ensure alternative oil flow, Iran remains without a significant land exit, and blocking the strait harms Iranian exports. The analysis notes that reducing global dependence on the strait lessens American anxiety over energy prices and expands the US's room for maneuver against Iran.