With the Strait of Hormuz blockaded since February amid the war in Iran, tanker trucks began shipping Iraqi oil from refineries in southern Iraq and the Syrian port of Baniyas, which lies on the Mediterranean Sea.

The development comes 18 months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who fled after 24 years in power, the Washington Post reported. With international sanctions being lifted, the country has the potential to offer an alternative route than a waterway that's vulnerable to Middle East unrest. 

Under its new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria is selling itself as a relatively stable alternative, and international government and energy companies are showing interest. 

The Trump administration, which supports Sharaa, announced backing for a new pipeline that would funnel 2 million barrels of crude oil per day from Basra in southern Iraq to Baniyas, following the same route as the trucks now hauling petroleum. 

The 1,000-mile, $5.7 billion pipeline will take at least 30 months to build and cannot fully replace the seaborne cargo vessels that transit the strait, but it would allow oil exports more options to reach global markets.