Syria is positioning itself as an overland energy corridor after 5,000 trucks began carrying oil from southern Iraq to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas in April, following the stoppage of cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The route has attracted backing from the Trump administration for a Chevron-led pipeline capable of moving 2 million barrels of crude oil per day from Basra to Baniyas. The 1,000-mile project is valued at $5.7 billion and would take at least two and a half years to build, while officials say a final contract is expected in September. Syria's new government, led by new president Ahmed al-Sharaa, sees the project and related transport links as a way to benefit from the lifting of international sanctions and reshape regional trade. The plan faces substantial risks, including militant attacks, Iranian-backed militias in western Iraq, Syria's incomplete consolidation of control, damaged infrastructure and uncertainty over whether oil companies would invest if Hormuz reopens. Officials and investors are also considering extensions to Qatar and possible connections for Kuwait and Bahrain, while Qatar has expressed interest in a separate liquefied natural gas pipeline. Syria is pursuing wider rail and road agreements with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to link Europe with the Gulf and Red Sea. The effort reflects Syria's historical location at a regional crossroads, but the country remains constrained by the destruction of its 14-year civil war, inadequate investment and damaged oil production capacity.