Trump envoy kept financial ties to firm behind $15 billion Hormuz-bypass oil pipeline plan ↧ ↧ Trump envoy kept financial ties to firm behind $15 billion Hormuz-b... Thomas Barrack, a top US diplomat in the Middle East, advocated for a firm run by his business partner to take part in the development of an oil pipeline from Iraq to Syria, three people said, activities which appear to violate federal ethics rules.