CENTCOM Creates Task Force Iron Gate to Block Iran's Land and Caspian Weapons Routes
WASHINGTON — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday, Nov. 7, that its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, has directed the creation of a new task force, Task Force Iron Gate, to disrupt Iran's movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned material across its land borders and through the Caspian Sea. The move extends a months-long U.S. naval blockade of Iran from the sea to land routes.
CENTCOM said Task Force Iron Gate will comprise about 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate with other U.S. government agencies. Its targets include advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams. A U.S. military official told Reuters that the coordination was expected to include the Treasury, State and Justice Departments as well as the intelligence community.
'The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea,' Cooper said in the statement. 'Strengthening CENTCOM's collaboration with U.S. interagency partners will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military.'
Central Command estimated that its naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil in recent months, and said strict enforcement continues against ships entering and leaving Iranian ports. A Reuters investigation 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 — by cargo ship across the Caspian Sea from Russia, by truck from Central Asia and by freight planes from China — evading both the U.S. naval blockade and Western sanctions. Those land and Caspian routes are what the new task force is meant to close.
Source: U.S. Central Command
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国中央司令部司令 Brad Cooper 海军上将（白衣）走下专机（资料图）。美国空军官方照片，军士长 Kevin Dunkleberger 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command (in white), descends from an aircraft (file photo). U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Dunkleberger, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
[Video] Follow-Up: NASA Announces Moon Base Award Suite: Eight Companies Selected Under $10 Billion CLPS 2, Nuclear-Powered PROMISE Rover Set for Late 2028 Launch2026-11-07
[Video] Follow-Up: NASA Holds November Moon Base Update at Kennedy Space Center, With Administrator Isaacman and Program Team2026-11-07