Syria Eyes Pipeline Lifeline as Post-Assad Power Struggle Escalates

Syria’s caretaker government is moving to restore the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline with Iraq, a strategic corridor that had the capacity to move up to 300,000 barrels per day to Syria’s Mediterranean coast before war and sanctions shut it down in the early 2000s. Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir will travel to Baghdad in the coming days to discuss rehabilitation plans, according to Iraqinews.com. For Damascus, reconnecting to Iraq’s oil network could provide critical transit revenues, reduce reliance on costly maritime…