The US military has formed a new task force to disrupt Iran’s land-based supply routes, expanding an ongoing naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Task Force Iron Gate would target the movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue across Iran’s borders and the Caspian Sea.
The force, based in Tampa, Florida, will work with other US government agencies. Admiral Brad Cooper, the CENTCOM commander, said it would reinforce “the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea”.
The announcement marks a widening of the US effort to restrict Iran’s ability to move military equipment and other materials. Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant defence secretary for the Middle East, said the task force would seek to identify how weapons systems were entering Iran and how its energy was being transported.
Mr Mulroy said that, if President Donald Trump ordered an escalation of the war, potential targets would likely include economic and infrastructure sites. He said the operation would form part of a wider plan to restrict the Iranian regime’s ability to fight and fund itself.
US blockade in the Gulf
CENTCOM separately said US forces had disabled a commercial cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman as part of the blockade of Iranian ports.
It said a US military aircraft had fired precision munitions at the stern of the St Kitts-flagged M/V Huda after its crew was directed to abandon targeted areas. The strike disabled the vessel, according to the command.
CENTCOM said enforcement operations since July had led US forces to redirect 147 commercial vessels whose crews complied, while five merchant ships had been disabled after refusing to comply.
Explosions reported near the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported explosions on Qeshm Island on Saturday, including two blasts and further explosions in Jask, Sirik and Bandar Abbas.
Mr Trump confirmed new strikes on Qeshm Island the previous day but described them as “minor”. He also said Tehran remained interested in reaching a deal as talks mediated by Qatar continued.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy said two oil tankers had struck mines near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state television, citing the navy, reported that the vessels had entered an “unsafe” area with their navigation systems switched off before suffering severe damage and stopping.
