Iran has launched an oil pipeline project bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency Tasnim reported.
“What is strategic about this project is that many countries in the region have managed to find a second way so that they can export their oil using other routes whenever the Strait of Hormuz faces danger,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said during the inauguration.
The 1,000 kilometer pipeline links Goreh in Bushehr to Jask, so the nation’s oil exports will not have to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint through which 20 million barrels per day of oil passes, making it a geopolitical focal point. Rouhani noted that the pipeline would allow Iran to continue exporting oil even if the strait was closed one day.
The Kharg Island terminal, in the Persian Gulf, accounts for 90% of Iran’s oil exports, and must be reached through the Strait of Hormuz.
The new terminal is close to Chabahar, Tasnim reported, and is planned as a key link in the International North South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a network of railways, ships, and other routes to move freight in between Iran, India, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, Central Asia, and Europe.
