Minister: Türkiye braces for possible closure of Strait of Hormuz

Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has announced that Türkiye is taking strategic measures in anticipation of a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz by accelerating its investment in key logistics initiatives such as the "Middle Corridor" and the "Development Road".

The Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, is one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. It borders major oil and gas producing nations including Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish newspaper.

“We need to have land and sea alternatives in case the Strait of Hormuz is closed,” Uraloğlu stated. “That’s why we’re actively advancing the Middle Corridor and Development Road projects. About 2,100 km of the Development Road passes through Türkiye, and we plan to invest approximately $24 billion. The 2,200-km Middle Corridor is also being strengthened, with several segments already completed.”  

Once finished, Uraloğlu noted, the Development Road is expected to reduce cargo transit period to Europe to 25 days, while the Middle Corridor will cut the duration to just 13 days. 

The Middle Corridor (also known as the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route) connects China to Europe via Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Türkiye. It integrates rail and maritime transport across the Caspian Sea, spans approximately 11,000 km, and is designed to handle up to 27 million tons of cargo annually. 

Launched in Iraq in 2023, the Development Road project aims to build and modernise over 1,200 km of railway and highway infrastructure, linking Iraq with neighbouring countries. In April 2024, Türkiye, Iraq, the UAE, and Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a $17 billion international transport and logistics network.

By Naila Huseynova