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Iraq Reopens Rabia Border Crossing to Boost Fuel Oil Exports via Syria
SOMO will truck about 650,000 metric tons of fuel oil a month through Syria as Iraq seeks alternatives to disrupted Gulf shipping.
- On Monday, April 20, 2026, Iraq reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade of closure to accelerate fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid Gulf shipping disruptions.
- The crossing closed after ISIS seized the area in 2014, while Iraq's reliance on Gulf exports—through which 20% of global oil flows—faced disruption from recent maritime shipping conflicts.
- State oil marketer SOMO awarded contracts to supply about 650,000 metric tonnes of fuel oil per month via Syria through June, with tanker truck convoys expected to begin crossing in the coming days.
- Border Ports Commission head Omar Al-Waeli said reopening Rabia eases pressure on fuel shipments by reducing bottlenecks at the al-Waleed crossing, Iraq's only other operating border point.
- With the post back in operation, all three border crossings between Iraq and Syria are now open as officials discuss improving coordination to facilitate future trade exchange.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Associated Press News
A long-shuttered Iraq-Syria border crossing reopens for the first time in more than a decade
A key border crossing between Iraq and Syria has reopened for the first time in over a decade. The crossing — known as Rabia in Iraq and Yarubiyah in Syria — was closed after the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
Damascus restores commercial, passenger movement via Al-Yarubiya-Rabia
Iraq reopens Rabia border crossing after nearly 13 years to boost fuel oil exports via Syria
Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid disruption to Gulf shipping following the Iran war, Iraqi border officials said on April 20.
Iraqi authorities resumed operations at the Rabia border crossing with Syria on Monday after a nearly 13-year hiatus. The head of the Border Ports Authority, Omar al-Waeli, announced the official reopening of the crossing, which had been closed since 2014, from the site in Nineveh province.
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