US sets up task force to cut Iran's overland supply routes
US Central Command said on Saturday it has created a new task force to stop Iran moving weapons and other materials over land. The move widens a naval blockade of Iranian ports around the Strait of Hormuz that has lasted for months.
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees American operations in the Middle East, announced on Saturday that it had formed a new task force to stop Iran using overland routes to move advanced weapons and other materials. The step extends the months-long US naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
Task Force Iron Gate
The unit is called Task Force Iron Gate. CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said it would reinforce the success of the blockade at sea. Based in Tampa, Florida, it will work with other US government agencies to halt the flow of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.
Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant defence secretary for the Middle East, told Al Jazeera the task force would work out where weapons systems are entering Iran, how those flows could be cut off, and how Iran transports its energy. He said that if President Donald Trump orders an escalation, it would likely target these sites. Unlike Operation Epic Fury, which mainly hit military targets, he expects the focus to be on economic and infrastructure targets.
Vessel disabled, explosions reported
CENTCOM also said it disabled a commercial cargo ship, the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, in the Gulf of Oman as part of the blockade. A US military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern after the crew had been told to leave the targeted spaces. Since July, US forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabled five that refused.
Iran's official news agency IRNA reported two explosions on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, and several explosions in Jask, Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Trump confirmed new strikes on Qeshm a day earlier, calling them minor, and said Tehran still wants a deal while Qatari-mediated talks continue.
Separately, the navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said two oil tankers hit sea mines near the strait on Saturday. State television said they had passed through an unsafe area with navigation systems off and were severely damaged.
