Washington creates 20-member force against Iranian networks

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday 7 November the creation of Task Force Iron Gate, a cell of 20 civilians and military personnel based in Tampa, on the orders of Admiral Brad Cooper, to track Iranian supply networks by land. According to CENTCOM, it will extend the "iron blockade" imposed at sea against Iran and will act with other US agencies to locate, track and disrupt the passage of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illicit revenue.

The US command assigns this team the objective of reducing Tehran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild its weapons factories and reconstitute its forces. The naval arrangement launched in July covers the ports of the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and blocks imports and exports outside humanitarian aid; according to CENTCOM, Iran has not been able to sell more than 25 billion dollars of crude in recent months.

This announcement adds to other tools deployed by Washington: in August, CENTCOM had created Task Force Falcon Strike, a multinational attack drone force, and the Trump administration the day before offered 20 million dollars in reward for information on the Iranian nuclear programme. The same day, General Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman for the aerospace force of the Revolutionary Guards, said to the Mehr agency that Iran has gone from being an importer to an exporter of weapons, citing the Arman missile, the 358 drone and the Khordad-3 air defence system.

The creation of this force comes the day after Washington's 20 million dollar offer and a few days after Donald Trump considered a resumption of the war against Iran, on 6 November.