Blockage of Umm Qasr port has cost Iraq over $6 billion: PM’s spokesman

The blocking of Iraq’s major Umm Qasr port on the Gulf by anti-government protesters has cost the country over $6 billion so far, a spokesman for Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Wednesday.

“The closure of the Umm Qasr port harms the country. Hundreds of trucks are still parked. This issue is causing massive damage to the nation. Iraq’s losses have exceeded $6 billion until now,” said Abdul Kareem Khalaf in a news conference.