US launches “Task Force Iron Gate” to curb Iran’s weapons transport

Washington has announced the creation of “Task Force Iron Gate”, a unit aimed at disrupting Iran’s land and Caspian Sea routes for advanced weapons, the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.

The task force will investigate how weapons systems enter Iran and how the country moves energy, according to Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant defence secretary for the Middle East. It will expand the existing naval blockade of Iranian ports to cover Iran’s land borders with Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan, and the Caspian Sea.

Based in Tampa, Florida, the 20‑person civilian and military team will coordinate with other US agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons, dual‑use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams across those routes, CENTCOM said. Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said the unit will reinforce “the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea”.

On the same day, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced plans for underground complexes to sustain missile and drone production, dismissing the US plan as “just a play on words” and claiming the United States cannot achieve its economic‑pressure goals.

Analysts note the move could target supply networks that involve Russian components shipped via the Caspian Sea, raising the possibility of a confrontation with Russia.

Source: Al Jazeera. Photo: Art Guzman / Pexels.