---
title: "The Kirkuk-Tripoli Pipeline Puts Lebanon Back on the Economic Map | Ghazi Mahmoud"
url: https://ghazimahmoud.com/en/articles/2026-07-02-4e19e6/
lang: en
description: "Iraq's announcement of the formation of a high-level committee to negotiate with Turkey on extending the crude oil export agreement via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the port of Ceyhan has raised questions about the fate of the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline, which runs from Iraq through Syria to Lebanon, and the importance of reactivating it for both Lebanon and Iraq."
---

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# The Kirkuk-Tripoli Pipeline Puts Lebanon Back on the Economic Map

[Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Dr. Ghazi Mahmoud](https://ghazimahmoud.com/en/about/)

2 Jul 2026 · 5 min read

[Energy, oil and gas](https://ghazimahmoud.com/en/articles/energy/)[Politics and security](https://ghazimahmoud.com/en/articles/geo/)

Iraq's announcement of the formation of a high-level committee to negotiate with Turkey on extending the crude oil export agreement via the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the port of Ceyhan has raised questions about the fate of the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline, which runs from Iraq through Syria to Lebanon, and the importance of reactivating it for both Lebanon and Iraq. This is particularly relevant given that recent shipments of Iraqi oil to Lebanon were transported overland across Syrian territory by tanker trucks belonging to the Iraqi transport fleet, owing to the war in the Arabian Gulf region, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the accompanying tensions.

The Iraqi-Turkish negotiations come at a time when the targeting of a Singapore-flagged vessel, followed by attacks on other ships, has underscored the fragility of the security situation in the strait, while renewed US-Iranian confrontations threaten to undermine the ceasefire and diminish the prospects of reaching a permanent agreement between Washington and Tehran. This keeps maritime navigation hostage to military and political developments, demonstrating the need for Iraq, like other Arabian Gulf states, to secure alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, negotiations between Iraq and Turkey are passing through a delicate phase, especially as the current agreement expires on July 27, 2026. While Iraq seeks to raise its exports through the Turkish port of Ceyhan to exceed 350,000 to 400,000 barrels per day (bpd), up from the current level of roughly 200,000 bpd, Turkey is holding firm to new negotiating terms for resuming oil flows through the pipeline covered by the agreement.

Notably, the baseline capacity of the Iraq-Turkey pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan stands at around 1.6 million bpd, though its actual capacity has declined as a result of the wars Iraq has experienced and the halt in pumping during the years of economic sanctions.

Against this backdrop, reactivating the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline emerges as a strategic option that would allow Iraq to diversify its export outlets and reduce its reliance on the Turkish route alone. This is especially pressing after Iraqi oil exports plunged during the March 2026 crisis from roughly 4.3 million bpd to just 800,000 bpd, inflicting financial losses estimated at around $300 million per day.

The Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline has a capacity of roughly 900,000 bpd across three main lines with diameters of 12, 16, and 32/30 inches, in addition to a storage capacity of nearly 2.7 million barrels (430,000 cubic meters) at the Tripoli oil installations. The increase in oil exports sought by the Iraqi side in its negotiations with Turkey remains modest compared with the drop in exports that occurred, strengthening the prospects for reviving the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline following the lifting of economic sanctions on Syria, which had previously prevented Iraqi oil from transiting its territory into Lebanon.

Oil cooperation between Lebanon and Iraq is not new, dating back to July 2021, when the two countries concluded an agreement to supply Beirut with 1 million tons of heavy fuel oil (raised to 1.5 million tons in 2022), to be paid for through goods and services. An Iraqi official recently announced that the new government would continue implementing the agreement concluded with Lebanon without modification.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of the Syrian energy minister's visit to Baghdad in August 2025, the Iraqi Oil Ministry announced that it was studying exporting oil through the Lebanese port of Tripoli and reviving the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline, which runs for approximately 250 kilometers across Syrian territory.

The Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline was a central topic of discussion between Lebanese Prime Minister Judge Nawaf Salam and Ihsan al-Awadi, special envoy of the Iraqi prime minister, when Salam received him at the end of 2025, affirming that reactivating this pipeline represents a top priority for his government. Major General Hassan Choucair, Director General of General Security, also followed up on the matter with Iraq's new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, with both sides affirming that they are working on the issue.

The significance of reactivating the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline lies in securing an additional outlet for Iraqi exports, granting Iraq greater flexibility in managing its shipments and reducing the geopolitical risks associated with the closure of maritime chokepoints, particularly the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, or the disruption of other export pipelines. It also strengthens Baghdad's bargaining position with transit countries and gives it wider room for maneuver in marketing its oil in line with regional and international shifts.

For Lebanon, reactivating the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline represents an irreplaceable economic and strategic opportunity, giving the country direct access to energy supplies, helping transform Tripoli into a regional hub for oil storage and re-export, and paving the way for the rehabilitation and operation of its refinery.

Reactivation would revitalize activity at the city's port, create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, and generate steady hard-currency revenues for the Lebanese treasury from transit, storage, and logistics fees. It would also enable the Tripoli refinery to produce petroleum derivatives locally and meet domestic demand at well-calibrated prices.

Accordingly, amid the transformations unfolding in the global energy system and the growing trend toward diversifying supply routes and mitigating geopolitical risks, reactivating the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline stands out as a strategic option dictated by considerations of energy security and the regional economy. It provides Iraq with access to safe and stable new outlets for exporting its oil, particularly toward European countries.

It would also benefit Syria through transit fees for oil crossing its territory and put Lebanon back on the region's economic map. Furthermore, it opens the door to joint energy development projects and deepens economic interdependence among the three countries, moving beyond purely commercial ties toward a strategic partnership in energy security.

Succeeding in this endeavor therefore requires shared political will and the completion of the necessary legal, technical, and financial frameworks, along with the time needed to carry out reactivation work, pending Lebanon's development of the oil wealth lying beneath its soil and the waters of its exclusive economic zone.

Translated from Arabic with AI. [Read it in Arabic](https://ghazimahmoud.com/articles/2026-07-02-4e19e6/)

## Published in

- [Channel 23](https://ch23.com/Article/376057/خط-كركوك-طرابلس-يُعيد-لبنان-إلى-الخارطة-الاقتصادية)
- [OZ Arab Media](https://ozarab.media/خط-كركوك-طرابلس-يُعيد-لبنان-إلى-الخارط/)
- [Lebanon Files](https://www.lebanonfiles.com/2026/articles/باقلامهم/خط-كركوك-طرابلس-يُعيد-لبنان-إلى-الخارط/)

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