Iraq joins US-launched 'Four Seas Initiative' linking Gulf, Caspian, Mediterranean, Black Sea

WASHINGTON, United States — WASHINGTON — Iraq is among the participating countries in the "Four Seas Initiative," launched in Washington by the New Lines Institute, a strategic project aimed at connecting the Gulf, Caspian, Mediterranean and Black Seas through transit and energy corridors running via Syria and Turkey. The launch event was attended by US Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Joe Wilson, Syrian Deputy Ambassador to Washington Mohammed Kanatri, and Iraqi Ambassador to the US Nizar Hairallah. The initiative envisions four corridors along an approximately 6,300-kilometer route: a Gulf-Mediterranean link, the reopening of the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, the Caspian-Anatolia line, and the modernization of the Arab gas pipeline. Total investment over a 10-year period is projected at $25-30 billion, with the project expected to generate $8-12 billion in annual revenue for Syria by the 2030s. According to the institute's report, the change of administration in Damascus, tensions at the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab, and energy agreements signed in 2025 have created suitable conditions for the project to be implemented in 2026. The initiative positions itself as a framework for cross-border energy and transit cooperation among the participating states.