Iraq is considering building a new oil pipeline to Turkey and Syria to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Iraqi Oil Minister Bassim Mohammed Kuder said today that Iraq is studying the possibility of building a new oil pipeline that would connect Basra to Kirkuk, and from there to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, in order to diversify crude oil export routes and bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

Kuder stated on social media that the project also includes the possibility of extending part of the oil pipeline to the Baniyas terminal in Syria.

Located on the northwestern coast of Syria, the city of Baniyas is home to one of the country's main refineries and an export terminal on the Mediterranean Sea.

Kuder wrote that his department has "a clear vision and strategy, based on diversifying Iraqi oil export routes and rejecting reliance solely on the Strait of Hormuz."

Iraq, a major oil producer, has relied on the Strait of Hormuz for years to transport its crude oil to world markets.