By Lisa Baertlein

LOS ANGELES, July 8 (Reuters) - U.S. container imports surged 8.2% in June from the year earlier, supply chain technology provider Descartes Systems Group DSG.TO said on Wednesday, after buyers rushed in goods to avoid potential new tariffs and higher transportation costs tied to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.

U.S. seaports handled 2,400,627 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) last month. For the first half of 2026, imports were down 0.3% from the same period in 2025, Descartes said.

Analysts and shippers said many importers moved cargo early to front-run a July 1 increase in ocean freight costs tied to container ship operators belatedly adding to contracts higher fuel costs tied to the oil spike that resulted from the war in Iran.

The U.S. is also expected to impose new tariffs tied to forced labor at the end of July, they added.

China accounted for most of the year-over-year growth in imports. Volume from that country jumped 27.4% year-over-year, totaling 814,474 TEUs in June, Descartes said.