The extended disruption caused by the US-Iran conflict highlights a need for diversifying energy export routes to reduce dependency on shipping via the Strait of Hormuz. A new initiative launched by the Washington, DC-based New Lines Institute seeks to develop Syria and Turkey into major energy distribution hubs. The Four Seas Initiative outlines an expansive framework for redirecting energy export flows in ways that can lessen European dependence on Russian and Iranian oil and gas while directing investment from Gulf states toward Western-aligned…