US sets up Task Force Iron Gate to cut Iran's land supply routes, widening its blockade

7 November 2026

The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that it has set up a new team, Task Force Iron Gate, to stop Iran bringing advanced weapons and other banned goods in over its land borders and across the Caspian Sea. It adds to a naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz that has lasted for months. The team has 20 civilian and military members and is based in Florida. CENTCOM's commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said it would make it harder for Iran to raise money and rebuild weapons factories. President Donald Trump wrote on Sunday that the task force was already working. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say the effort will fail. The war has gone on for about eight months.