Iraq on the map under the magnifying glasIraq and Syria have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build a strategic oil pipeline connecting Haditha in western Iraq to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas on the Syrian coast, officials announced. According to the Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), the energy transit project is estimated to take two to two-and-a-half years to complete. The pipeline initiative follows a recent fuel transport arrangement between Iraq’s State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) and the SPC. Under that deal, Iraqi fuel oil is being trucked across the Al-Tanf border crossing to the Baniyas refinery for re-export to Europe via tankers. Efforts to reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz follow earlier Iraq-Syria talks to revive the defunct oil pipeline, aiming to supply oil to European markets.