US EditionIraq 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.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Iraq–Syria Border Crossing Reopens for the First Time After Decade-Long Closure
The Rabia-Yarubiyah border crossing between Iraq and Syria reopened on 20 April for the first time in more than a decade. The crossing, located in Iraq’s Nineveh province and Syria’s Hasakah region, had been closed since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011 and subsequent occupation by Islamic State militants in 2014. Iraqi Kurdish forces later regained control of the area, paving the way for renewed cross-border cooperation.According to Th…
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.
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