Syria's $216 Billion Rebuild Positions It as Trade Bypass After US Sanctions Lifted

Syria is leveraging the Strait of Hormuz crisis to position itself as an alternative trade and oil route following the lifting of US sanctions. The country's infrastructure, devastated by 14 years of civil war, requires an estimated $216 billion for reconstruction. President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with US President Donald Trump at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8. The removal of sanctions allows Syria to rejoin the global financial system, a prerequisite for reconstruction. Despite ruined infrastructure and fragile institutions, Syria's strategic location at the crossroads of Asia-Europe trade routes offers a potential bypass for oil and goods, capitalizing on the Hormuz disruption.