Iraq on the map under the magnifying glas (© Shutterstock/Kachor Valentyna)Lebanese officials met with an Iraqi delegation in Beirut on Monday to discuss reviving the historic Kirkuk-Tripoli oil pipeline, part of a broader effort by Baghdad to secure alternative energy export routes to the Mediterranean. The talks focused on operational readiness as Lebanon prepares to serve as an initial storage and re-export hub for Iraqi crude oil and refined petroleum products. Saddi recently inspected energy infrastructure linked to preliminary restoration plans aimed at attracting international investment to rebuild the pipeline. To further insulate its energy exports from maritime bottlenecks, Iraq has also begun work on the Basra-Haditha pipeline. Designed to carry up to 2.5 million barrels per day, that system is planned to connect Iraqi oil fields to export terminals in Baniyas, Syria; Ceyhan, Türkiye; and Aqaba, Jordan.