Following the creation of the State of Israel the Iraq-Haifa pipeline was shut down, and in its place a new line was built from Kirkuk to the Syrian Mediterranean port of Baniyas. The pipelines were closed between November 1956 and March 1957 when Syrian pumping stations were destroyed during the Suez crisis, which caused a financial crisis in Iraq. Iraq could not transport its oil through the Persian Gulf while the Suez Canal remained closed, so the closure of the Mediterranean pipelines meant Iraqi oil production ground to a standstill.