U.S. Central Command said on 7 November that its commander, Adm. Brad Cooper, had directed the formation of Task Force Iron Gate, an internal staff of approximately 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida. The task force is to support ongoing U.S. government efforts to prevent Iran from using ground routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials. [E1] [E2]
CENTCOM said the team will coordinate with other U.S. 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. [E3]
A CENTCOM graphic highlighted Iran’s borders with Türkiye, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan and Pakistan; Dawn reported that Pakistan shares an approximately 900-kilometre border and commercial road connections with Iran. [E4]
SABA reported on 8 November that Hossein Mohebbi, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman, dismissed Task Force Iron Gate as wordplay and said the plan would not achieve the U.S. aim of exerting severe economic pressure on Iran. [E5]