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Trump Says Iron Gate Task Force Is In Full Force To Disrupt Iran Land Routes
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CENTCOM announced Iron Gate Task Force to block Iran's land-based weapons and illicit shipments. Expands the naval blockade to overland routes, including Caspian Sea crossings.
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Iron Gate expands blockade
President Donald Trump announced that Task Force Iron Gate is in “full force and effect” in the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying it is “Coupled with history’s greatest Naval Blockade, very little gets into, or out of, Iran!” US Central Command announced on Saturday that it had formed a 20-member team to disrupt land routes used for shipments of weapons and illicit materials, expanding a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
“Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Admiral Brad Cooper said the force “will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military,” and CENTCOM said the team would coordinate with US government agencies to prevent movement of “advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.” CENTCOM also said its naval enforcement efforts had prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil, and the task force was described as extending that pressure from sea to overland trade routes and the Caspian region.
Iran calls it wordplay
Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, told Fars News Agency that the “Iron Gate plan is merely a wordplay,” adding that “The Americans cannot achieve their objectives of imposing severe economic pressure to cause economic collapse in Iran through this approach.” Mohebbi also warned that the United States would be “powerless to block” communication channels between Iran and neighboring countries, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps dismissed the new task force as “word play.” Trump’s announcement came as Iran vowed to lift its self-imposed ballistic missile-range limit, with Mohebbi confirming that “That restriction has been lifted for us,” according to The Associated Press.
In parallel, the sources described CENTCOM enforcement actions at sea, including a statement that it disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman by firing precision munitions at the stern of St.
Kitts-flagged M/V Huda after crew evacuation.
Targets, money, and next steps
Al Jazeera reported that Michael Mulroy said the task force’s role would be to find out where “weapons systems are coming in, how they could potentially be cut off,” and how “Iran is transporting its energy.” Mulroy added that if President Donald Trump orders an escalation, attacks would likely focus on “a series of targets,” and he contrasted the approach with “Operation Epic Fury,” saying the targets would be focused on economic and infrastructure targets.
The sources also tied the land-route effort to broader sanctions enforcement, with CENTCOM saying it would prevent movement of “sanctioned materials” and “illegal revenue streams” across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. Trump’s comments also linked diplomacy to the pressure campaign, as he told CNN that further attacks were “highly unlikely” if Tehran agreed to a “very strong agreement” covering its nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.