WASHINGTON – He United States Central Command (Centcom)announced this Saturday the start of the operation called Iron Gate that aims to block Iran’s trade by land and thus complement the naval blockade imposed on the country in the Persian Gulf area.
Centcom, based in Florida, explained that the objective is to disrupt Iranian land routes and announced in a statement that the “task force will support the US Government’s ongoing efforts to prevent Iran from using land routes to transport advanced weapons and other materials.”
The new working group, ‘Task Force Iron Gate’, will be made up of 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida, who will seek to prevent the transfer in Iran of advanced weapons systems, materials subject to sanctions and illicit entry through Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said the new equipment “will further limit Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories and resupply its military forces.”
“The creation of the Iron Gate task force reinforces the success of our strong sea blockade against Iran,” Cooper noted.
In recent months, the US naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil. Strict enforcement at sea continues against all ships entering or leaving Iranian ports.
This will restrict the “financing of terrorism, the reconstruction of arms factories and the replacement of its military material,” said Cooper, who highlights that the naval blockade in recent months has prevented Tehran from exporting more than 25 billion in crude oil.
“Limited range” attacks
President Donald Trump confirmed that US forces carried out new limited strikes against Iran, targeting an air defense system that he claimed was destroyed within minutes.
“I don’t want to talk about it. We do minor attacks, but they built a small anti-aircraft device and we destroyed it in about 15 minutes, maybe five,” Trump told reporters shortly after arriving in West Palm Beach, Florida, without offering further details about the operation.
Iranian state media reported that two explosions were heard in the area of Suza, on the island of Qeshm, located in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route for global oil transportation.
Trump described the military action as “minor”, without specifying when it occurred or providing details about the damage caused.
Different media, such as the Wall Street Journal, have reported that the United States has continued with minor and focused attacks on defense infrastructure on the Iranian island for weeks and the central objective would be to weaken the infrastructure that the Islamic Republic uses to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz.
