Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam arrived in Baghdad July 26 to advance energy cooperation with Iraq, with the revival of the Kirkuk-Tripoli crude oil pipeline emerging as the centrepiece of talks. The debate around the Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline arose following an Iraqi-Syrian agreement to rehabilitate the Haditha-Banias oil pipeline signed earlier as part of a push to reconnect Iraq to the the Levantine energy grids. The Kirkuk-Tripoli pipeline, which runs from Iraq's Kirkuk oilfields through Syrian territory to the Lebanese port of Tripoli, has been dormant for decades. With Iraq and Syria already signing a memorandum of understanding to revive the Kirkuk-Banias leg, the Beirut-Baghdad discussions are aimed at extending that momentum to Lebanon, reconnecting the country to regional energy infrastructure within a framework that, according to Lebanese officials, carries US backing. Salam was accompanied by Finance Minister Yassin Jaber, Energy and Water Minister Joe Sadek, and Telecommunications Minister Charles Hajj. Following bilateral meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Nida Al-Watan quoted Salam as saying that Lebanon "is determined to move forward with strengthening strategic connectivity and integration projects with the countries of the region in various sectors, particularly energy, telecommunications, and transportation." Al-Zaidi affirmed Iraq's commitment to developing the relationship and supporting regional stability. The visit also covers an extension of the existing Iraqi fuel supply agreement that served as a critical lifeline for Lebanon during its energy and financial crisis, keeping power plants operational at a time when the country had few alternatives. The pipeline revival sits within accelerating regional energy diplomacy involving Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey, and comes as Lebanon and Iraq both move to consolidate weapons under state control, a parallel process that frames the economic agenda in explicitly political terms. Iraq's cabinet earlier authorised the chief executive of Basra Oil Company to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iraq's Oil Ministry and Syria's Energy Ministry to develop an oil pipeline linking Iraqi crude production to global export markets through the Mediterranean Sea, INA reported on July 27. The decision, approved during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, forms part of a broader package of measures aimed at developing Iraq's oil and gas sector and attracting investment.

President Trump made his first stop on his Middle East swing in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, receiving a warm welcome from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and top U.S. and Saudi business leaders. Trump secured hundreds of billions in investments from Saudi Arabia and took steps to reframe relations with the Middle East, including taking [...]

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