A pipeline that has been sitting broken under the desert since 2003 is about to become one of the most geopolitically significant infrastructure deals of 2026. The US, Iraq, and Syria are planning to revive the historic Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, a roughly 500-mile corridor running from northern Iraq to Syria’s Mediterranean coast, according to senior Iraqi and regional officials who spoke with Middle East Eye.
The deal is expected to be formally announced when Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets President Donald Trump at the White House in mid-July 2026. A joint US-Iraq statement issued in June 2026 already confirmed a commitment to rehabilitate the pipeline, with US investment firm TI Capital involved in technical feasibility work expected to be approved in early July.
Why a 74-year-old pipeline suddenly matters again
The Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline was completed in 1952, making it older than most of the geopolitical conflicts that eventually destroyed it. It was knocked out of service during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and has been dormant ever since.
Previous attempts to revive it, running roughly from 2007 to 2010, collapsed under the weight of political dysfunction and security concerns.
