Shafaq News- Antalya

Syrian transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on Friday said Iraq's oil exports via Syria to the Mediterranean have begun, highlighting the country’s role as a “potential transit hub” in global energy supply chains.

Speaking at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF2026), Al-Sharaa affirmed that Damascus aims to position itself as a central node in regional trade and logistics networks, linking production areas to international markets.

Iraq has already begun trucking fuel oil through Syria under contracts signed by its state oil marketer SOMO, which is exporting about 650,000 metric tons per month via the overland route, according to a SOMO document. The shipments are transported by tanker trucks to the Syrian port of Baniyas, where oil is loaded for export, Syrian Petroleum Company spokesperson Safwan Sheikh Ahmad told Shafaq News.

SOMO Director General Ali Nizar said some shipments have already reached storage tanks at the Baniyas terminal, marking the first use of the route in decades.