Syria desperately seeks fuel
The Assad government is reasserting control over territory, but still faces huge problems sourcing sufficient volumes of oil and gas to meet domestic demand
Syria's energy prospects have been affected in starkly contrasting ways by recent actions from the US administration. The sanctions announced by the Treasury Department's office of foreign assets control in November on entities involved in shipping petroleum to Syria caused severe disruptions to Syria's imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and gasoil in early 2019. This was when demand for heating fuel was at its height during a spell of bitterly cold winter weather. At the other end of the spectrum, US president Trump's mid-December announcement that he had decided to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria has opened the way for the government of President Bashar al-Assad to reasse
Also in this section
23 January 2026
A strategic pivot away from Russian crude in recent weeks tees up the possibility of improved US-India trade relations
23 January 2026
The signing of a deal with a TotalEnergies-led consortium to explore for gas in a block adjoining Israel’s maritime area may breathe new life into the country’s gas ambitions
22 January 2026
As Saudi Arabia pushes mining as a new pillar of its economy, Saudi Aramco is positioning itself at the intersection of hydrocarbons, minerals and industrial policy
22 January 2026
New long-term deal is latest addition to country’s rapidly evolving supply portfolio as it eyes role as regional gas hub
