US Iron Gate plan is ‘just a play on words’, IRGC says

• Iran's IRGC dismisses the US "Iron Gate" task force as a symbolic move, questioning Washington's ability to disrupt Iran's land supply routes.
• The US military says the operation aims to restrict weapons movements and disrupt Iran's land-based supply networks.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has dismissed the US military's "Iron Gate" operation to disrupt Iran's land-based supply routes as "just a play on words."

IRGC spokesperson Sardar Mohebi said the US initiative would fail to achieve Washington's goal of imposing severe economic pressure on Tehran and destabilizing the Iranian economy, according to Iran's Fars News Agency.

"The Americans cannot achieve their goal through this, which is to apply severe economic pressure to collapse and disintegrate the Iranian economy," Mohebi said.

He added that Washington had previously predicted Iran would face economic collapse within two weeks, but that this had not happened.

US Central Command announced on Saturday that its "Iron Gate" task force would seek to disrupt Iran's land supply routes and prevent the movement of weapons.

The initiative comes as Washington seeks to expand its pressure on Iran beyond restrictions targeting its ports and maritime trade.

Iran shares land borders with seven countries: Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. It also has a coastline along the Caspian Sea.