In August, an 80-member Emirati business delegation visited Beirut and signed agreements covering agriculture and commercial co-operation. Lebanon also reopened discussions on trade and energy links with Syria and Iraq. The moves followed Saudi Arabia’s June decision to resume Lebanese imports after almost five years of restrictions. Taken together, they suggested the beginnings of Lebanon’s return to regional markets after years of economic and political isolation.

For LIMS, the opportunity is to move beyond restoring old trade flows and use the opening to rebuild Lebanon’s position within the regional economy. That will require lowering barriers to investment, exposing protected sectors to competition and providing a more predictable regulatory environment. Gulf markets also require reliable safeguards against smuggling, both to protect Lebanon’s trading partners and to ensure that legitimate Lebanese exporters are not crowded out by illicit commerce.

The strategic importance of reconnecting Lebanon to the region has increased sharply as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have exposed the vulnerability of oil and gas exporters. This creates a potential strategic role for Lebanon. A functioning land and energy corridor through Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Syria to the eastern Mediterranean could eventually provide Gulf and Iraqi producers with another route towards European and Mediterranean markets, reducing their reliance on maritime traffic through Hormuz.

Lebanon’s geography gives Tripoli particular relevance. Iraq is already examining ways to increase exports through Turkey and has considered routes towards the Mediterranean. In July, Lebanon and Iraq discussed using Tripoli as a potential Mediterranean outlet, including the rehabilitation of the historic Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline and the possibility of extending it to the Lebanese coast.

Realizing this potential, however, would require rehabilitating infrastructure, strengthening domestic trade and customs institutions, and securing the regional coordination and political conditions necessary to reconnect these networks.

• Customs Tariff Chaos: Who Bears the Cost of Reversing the Decision? July 5, 2026: OTV, Video interview (AR)
• The UAE Lifts Its Travel Ban on Lebanon: Will It Restore Economic Ties With the Gulf? July 5, 2026: OTV, Video interview (AR)
• Saudi Arabia Has Opened the Door… So Who Is Blocking the Return of Lebanese Exports? July 11, 2026: Democratia, Article (AR)
• A Bridge Across Borders… And A Key To The Economy! August 7, 2026: MTV Lebanon, Article (AR)
• Reviving The Tripoli Refineries: The First Step Toward Electricity Without A Monopoly? August 25, 2026: This Is Lebanon, Video interview (AR)