Iran war paralyses neighbouring Iraq's crucial Umm Qasr port

Operations at Iraq’s primary deep-water port of Umm Qasr have come to a standstill, disrupting one of the country’s main trade gateways.

Docking sites and cargo areas that were once full of shipping containers are empty at the country’s only deep-water gateway.

This is due to the impact of the United States and Israel’s war launched at the end of February against neighbouring Iran.

Located at the far end of the Persian Gulf, the blockade by Tehran of the Strait of Hormuz has prevented commercial vessels from reaching Umm Qasr.

People have also grown accustomed to hearing rockets fly overhead as Iran takes aim at US air bases and other strategic sites in Kuwait and elsewhere in the region.

Umm Qasr lies about 60 kilometres south of the Basrah oil fields where almost all of the Iraq’s crude is produced and exported.

With oil revenue accounting for roughly 90 per cent of the country's budget, the slowdown has dealt a heavy blow to its economy.

In addition, a significant share of imported goods come through the port, including grain and sugar.

With the conflict still unresolved, there is growing concern about shipping in the region with another crucial regional waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea, under threat.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there, and fired on at least one Saudi tanker, setting it alight.