Under new president, Syrian pipeline may offer alternative route to Strait of Hormuz: report

With the Strait of Hormuz blockaded since February amid the war in Iran, tanker trucks began shipping Iraqi oil from refineries in southern Iraq and the Syrian port of Baniyas, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea.

The development comes 18 months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who fled after 24 years in power, the Washington Post reported. With international sanctions being lifted, the country has the potential to offer an alternative route than a waterway that's vulnerable to Middle East unrest.