Iran increasingly using Iraq's Umm Qasr port to bypass US naval blockade of its ports and vessels

Tehran, June 5 -- More than 50 days into the US blockade of Iran's southern ports, Iraq's Umm Qasr port has increasingly emerged as another alternative for all Iran-bound cargo, with Tehran's first major workaround through Oman's Khasab becoming slower, busier and more expensive.

The Iraqi port is now being used to move all Tehran-bound cargo, including cars, post the transfer of shipments from UAE ports on vessels flying non-Iranian flags, sources told Iran International.

The resultant shift in moving cargo adds a new layer to Iran's effort to bypass the US blockade which began on April 13, and ended up closing the main passages in the critical Strait of Hormuz corridor to all vessels linked to the Islamic Republic.

Initially, the Omani...