A case in point in this context is the extension of the existing oil pipeline that runs from Iraq’s Basra into Jordan’s Aqaba. December 2019 saw an announcement from Iraq’s Oil Ministry that it had completed the prequalifying process for companies interested in participating in the pipeline project. The first phase of the project will include the installation of a 700-km pipeline with a capacity of 2.25 million barrels within the Iraqi territories. It will also provide another ‘cover’ route for Iranian oil disguised as Iraqi oil, which can then be shipped easily both West and East. This, in turn, he added, would be part of the overall project to establish a joint Arab electricity market.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 12, 2021 21:00 UTC