DAMASCUS, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria and Iran are seeking to establish an Iranian strategic oil pipeline across Iraq, the official al-Thawra newspaper said Tuesday.

    The pipeline will run across Iraq, Syria to the Mediterranean Sea, said the paper.

    Syrian-Iranian Joint Committee have discussed means to improve work on building an oil pipeline in cooperation with the Iraqi government, said the paper, adding that Syria, Iran and Iraq would all benefit from the project.

    The deal was under a Memo of Understanding signed between the Syria and Iran in the field of oil, gas and petrochemicals in a bid to continue and develop cooperation in this regard, according to the paper.

    The committee also discussed the possibility of building a strategic gas line across Iraq and Syria to link it to the Arab Gas Line which is under construction to transport the Egyptian gas through Syria and Jordan.

    The oil pipeline project comes amid Syria and Iran are boosting bilateral economic ties recently, marked by high-level officials visits between the two countries.

    During a three-day visit by Iranian First Vice-President Parviz Davoudi to Syria in late February, the two sides signed preferential trade agreements and several accords on finance, industry, power, textile, oil, environment and culture. Enditem