Türkiye and Syria revive Four Seas Project as alternative trade corridor amid Hormuz closure
Türkiye and Syria announced in April 2026 the revival of the Four Seas Project, a rail, road and pipeline initiative first proposed in 2009 but shelved after the Syrian civil war. The project aims to connect the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea, providing an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea routes disrupted by the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and Houthi threats. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani made the announcement in Ankara as part of a broader strategic partnership.
Türkiye and Syria in April 2026 revived the Four Seas Project, a rail, road and pipeline initiative first proposed by Ankara in 2009 but shelved after the Syrian civil war began in 2011, as an alternative trade corridor amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and threats to Red Sea routes.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani announced the revival in Ankara as part of a broader strategic partnership between the two countries. The project aims to connect the Persian Gulf, Mediterranean, Black Sea and Caspian Sea via railways, roads and pipelines, positioning both countries as central transit hubs for energy security and trade networks.
The U.S.-Israel war with Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted traditional energy and trade routes, while the threat of a Houthi blockade in the Red Sea has further intensified concerns over the security of existing maritime corridors, according to an analysis by Recep T. Teke, a Levant studies researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies (ORSAM).
Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Türkiye and special envoy for Syria, has promoted the project as an alternative route to both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. The European Union restored a cooperation framework with Syria, signaling support for the corridor initiative.
Türkiye, Syria and Jordan signed a trilateral agreement to revive the historic Hejaz Railway and connect it to Saudi Arabia's railway network, which could provide a direct land corridor between the Gulf region and Europe. The first Turkish transit convoys arrived in Iraq via Syrian territory, and Syria's overland connection to the rest of the Middle East became operational again after a 14-year hiatus caused by the civil war.
Teke wrote that Syria, having emerged from its civil war after the fall of the Assad regime, was among the states in the Middle East least affected by the latest U.S.-Israel confrontation with Iran, and its geography at the heart of the Middle East makes it an attractive candidate for linking different regions.