The US military wants to stop Iran moving advanced weapons and other materials by land, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday. The new unit, Task Force Iron Gate, will cover Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. Al Jazeera said the move comes as the threat of renewed war grows.
The unit is based in Tampa, Florida. It will reportedly be run by 20 civilian and military personnel. CENTCOM said it will work with other US agencies to stop the movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. CENTCOM Commander Admiral Brad Cooper said it will reinforce "the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea". Iran borders seven countries: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkiye and Turkmenistan.
Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant defence secretary for the Middle East, told Al Jazeera that the unit is mainly a coordination body. He said it would map where weapons come in and how Iran moves its energy. If President Donald Trump escalates the war, Mulroy said, strikes would likely hit economic and infrastructure targets. Operation Epic Fury, by contrast, focused mainly on military targets.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) rejected the plan. Spokesman Sardar Mohebi said that the US cannot collapse Iran's economy this way, the Fars news agency reported. He said Washington had earlier predicted an Iranian economic collapse within two weeks, and it did not happen. The same day, the IRGC announced plans for underground complexes that could keep missile and drone production going under bombardment.
Analysts say the unit could target supply networks linked to Russia, though CENTCOM did not name Moscow. US media have reported that Russia sent drone components and explosives to Iran across the Caspian Sea. Mahjoob Zweiri, a professor at Qatar University, said the task force could "cause a confrontation with Russia". He also said it may be only symbolic. The US has no military presence on the Caspian, and neighbouring countries do not want to upset Russia. He added that the Caspian accounts for just 11 percent of Iran's economy.
Rami Khouri of the American University of Beirut said the US is acting "off the cuff" on Iran. He argued that Iran's trading networks across the region, especially in Asia, are too wide to seal off. Joe Kent, a former Trump counterterrorism official who resigned in March over the war, posted on X that CENTCOM was inviting Iran to escalate while the vice president tries to negotiate.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Cooper and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among officials pressing Trump to renew attacks on Iran.