Oman's southern route among the Hormuz bypass concepts

Regional analysis published through 2026 examines the role of Omani ports on the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea — Duqm and Salalah in particular — as potential routes around the Strait of Hormuz bottleneck.

Among the proposals under discussion is a pipeline from Basra to the port of Duqm with an estimated capacity of 2.5 million barrels per day, which Iraq has said it is studying. The project remains at an early conceptual stage, with routes under consideration including an overland line through neighbouring countries or a costly subsea pipeline.

These concepts run into practical limits: Duqm and Salalah sit on the far side of the Rub al-Khali — the world's largest continuous sand desert — which separates Oman geographically from the rest of the peninsula and makes overland connection expensive.