US 'Task Force Iron Gate' aims to cut Iran's advanced weapons transport

With fears that the war could flare again, Washington has expanded its efforts to squeeze Iran's military supply networks. US Central Command on Saturday announced a new unit, Task Force Iron Gate, aimed at stopping Iran moving advanced weapons and other goods by land routes and across the Caspian Sea.

Notably, the same day, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced plans to build underground complexes able to keep missile and drone production going under bombardment. Satellite images reportedly show construction under way near Iranian missile sites.

Former US deputy assistant secretary of defence for the Middle East Michael Mulroy said the unit would work out "where weapons systems come from and how to sever that", and how Iran transports its energy. The unit, about 20 civilian and military personnel, will operate from Tampa, Florida, coordinating with other government agencies on Iran's land routes and the Caspian Sea. Iran borders seven countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkiye and Turkmenistan.

"This will strengthen the success of our firm blockade of Iran at sea," said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

Iran's response: IRGC spokesman Sardar Mohebi dismissed the plan as "mere rhetoric". "America previously said Iran's economy would collapse within two weeks; we have seen that did not happen," he said.

US media have reported that Russia sent Iran drone parts and explosives via the Caspian Sea, and Professor Mahjoob Zweiri of Qatar University warned the task force "could create friction with Russia". With no US military presence in the Caspian it may remain symbolic, he said, and its economic impact would be limited as the sea accounts for only 11 per cent of Iran's economy. "America cannot completely shut down the networks of Iran, which has trade ties across Asia going back thousands of years," said analyst Rami Khouri.

Joe Kent, a former Trump aide who resigned in March over the Iran war, accused the task force of being an attempt to undermine diplomatic efforts. According to a reports report, several officials, including Cooper and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, have been pressing the president to strike Iran again.