Mideast oil producers step up plans to bypass the Strait of Hormuz

UNDATED-AP- Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. Within a few years, much of that oil could bypass the strait. As Iran’s chokehold over the strait drags on and oil prices surge, countries across the Gulf are planning to spend billions of dollars to build pipelines enabling them to redirect more supplies to ports on the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman and the Mediterranean. At least seven major pipeline projects are under construction, in the planning stage or being discussed as possibilities.