Chevron is looking to sign preliminary deals to invest in two Iraqi oil fields, as well as join a consortium of investors exploring the construction of a pipeline connecting Iraq’s oil patch with the Syrian coast.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Chevron consortium is looking at rebuilding the pipeline from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to the Syrian port of Baniyas on the Mediterranean Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. The pipeline has been shut for more than two decades, a senior Chevron official said, after being damaged during the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Chevron executive added that the consortium will carry out technical studies on whether to build a new pipeline or update existing infrastructure to connect with pipelines through Turkey. The company has been speaking with the Iraqi government for 12 to 18 months, with the Chevron executive describing the deals as a “long ways from the finish line.”

Additionally, Chevron is looking to invest in two major Iraqi oil fields, West Qurna 2 and Nasiriyah. Chevron had previously spoken with state-run Basra Oil for a stake in West Qurna 2 just days before the Iran war began, with the field producing around 460,000 barrels of oil a day.