Over 90% of global trade is carried by maritime transport, chiefly via containerisation, so container-terminal efficiency determines a port’s competitive advantage. Khorramshahr Port, bordering Iraq and Kuwait on Iran’s southern transit route, has high strategic potential but lags leading ports in container infrastructure and equipment. This research analyses container terminal operations at the port and prioritises development strategies by integrating the SWOT matrix with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The study is descriptive-analytical and applied. The population comprised expert personnel from the Ports and Maritime Organization, active shipping companies, and loading/unloading operators in Khorramshahr (50 individuals); using Cochran’s formula, a sample of 20 experts was selected. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observation, and pairwise-comparison questionnaires, and the IFE, EFE, Internal–External (IE), SWOT, and QSPM matrices were developed. The final IFE score was 2.364 and the EFE score 2.384, placing the terminal in the fifth cell of the nine-cell IE matrix (a conservative position). The leading strengths were discounted tariffs and operational safety; the leading weaknesses were equipment obsolescence and the absence of a dedicated container berth. Regional security and geostrategic location were the main opportunities, and international shipping sanctions the most critical threat. QSPM analysis ranked “private sector participation” first among four WO strategies, with the highest attractiveness score. Given the terminal’s conservative-cell position, WO strategies — equipment modernisation, R&D development, penetration of the Iraqi transit market, and attracting private investment — are recommended to strengthen its competitive position.