Turkey pushes Iraq, Syria trade routes as Hormuz crisis disrupts Gulf shipping
Turkey is using the Hormuz crisis to promote Iraq- and Syria-based Gulf-Europe corridors, but experts say the routes remain too costly, underbuilt and politically fragile to rival maritime shipping.
ANKARA — Turkey is using the Hormuz crisis to pitch itself as a Gulf-to-Europe trade hub through Iraq and Syria, but experts say the proposed overland routes remain too costly, underdeveloped and politically fragile to rival Hormuz-Suez shipping.
The near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the Iran war has disrupted one of the world’s most important energy choke points, forcing Asian and European buyers to seek alternative crude supplies and pushing up fuel costs. US crude exports hit a record 5.6 million barrels per day in May as refiners moved to replace disrupted Middle Eastern flows. The European Union, meanwhile, said it expects no near-term jet fuel shortage but warned that prices have surged roughly 40% since February.
The crisis has revived interest in overland trade and energy corridors that could reduce dependence on Hormuz, even if they cannot replace maritime shipping at scale.
Turkey has used the moment to promote alternative routes that would place it closer to the center of Gulf-Europe trade. Its main bet is on Iraq’s Development Road, a roughly $20 billion initiative for a rail and road corridor that would connect the Grand Faw Port in Basra, currently under construction, to Turkey through a 1,275-kilometer, or 792-mile, overland route.
