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The Jordanian port of Aqaba has recorded an increase in transit cargo transport due to the conflict between the United States and Iran having largely blocked commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, according to port authorities and terminal data.
Before US and Israeli attacks on Iran triggered a regional war in late February, the Strait of Hormuz was a critical route for global oil shipments and other trade. Since then, security risks have drastically reduced traffic through this waterway.
Traders have sought alternative routes, including through Syria, while Aqaba has also experienced a boost.
"If we talk about container trade, we have easily grown by 5%. This growth is driven by volumes, especially the increase in shipments to the northern Levant and Iraq," stated Angshuman Mustafi, Commercial Director of Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT).
In a statement published in July, ACT noted that transit volumes skyrocketed by 155.1% in the first half of 2026 compared to the same period last year.
Port sources informed Reuters that the increase in road cargo transport to Iraq has been the main driver of this growth.
Iraq previously imported consumer goods through its southern port in the Gulf, in Basra, but commercial traffic there has fallen drastically due to disruptions in navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.
Containers are now unloaded in Aqaba and transported by truck to Iraq, about 760 kilometers to the east, port officials reported.
"Thank God, there is now maritime activity. Before the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, we almost had no work. We used to get one or two transport orders a month. Now there is work: you get three, four, or five," commented the truck driver Moussa Abu Abdeh.
Mashhoor Al Jazy, spokesperson for the Jordan Shipping Association, told Reuters that "this could become a permanent route and not just temporary. And this is what we want to see: how we can demonstrate to the world that Aqaba's location must remain strategically on this route and has the right to stay on it once the crisis ends."
Iran has repeatedly attacked military facilities in Jordan, a close ally of Washington, in response to US attacks.
