The United States military said on Saturday it is launching a new task force to crack down on Iran’s movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned material over its land borders and through the Caspian Sea, extending a months-long naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The task force, named Task Force Iron Gate, will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate with other US government agencies. Beyond weapons, it will also focus on halting the flow of dual-use technologies and stemming what Washington calls illegal revenue streams. A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the coordination was expected to include the Treasury, State and Justice Departments as well as the intelligence community.
“Strengthening CENTCOM’s collaboration with US interagency partners will further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military,” Admiral Brad Cooper, the commander of US Central Command, said in a statement.
The announcement follows a Reuters investigation which found that Iran has created a secret network of military agencies to import at least $2 billion in hardware, explosives and heavy-duty trucks since January 2025, evading both the naval blockade and Western sanctions. The material entered Iran by cargo ship across the Caspian Sea from Russia, by truck from Central Asia, and by freight planes from China, the investigation showed.
Central Command estimated that its naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil.
The move comes more than eight months after the United States, alongside Israel, launched a war against Iran. Mediators have intensified efforts in recent days to end the war amid fears it could reignite after the US midterm elections, and President Donald Trump has been threatening a new offensive against Iran. US Vice President JD Vance has blamed the Iran war for the Republicans’ midterm election losses.
Source: Reuters, via The Express Tribune
