Trump touts 'Task Force Iron Gate' over Iran's land transit
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US President Donald Trump said on Sunday night that a newly formed American military task force is operating at full strength against Iran, claiming that joint maritime and ground interdiction efforts have effectively halted movement into and out of the country.
"Task Force Iron Gate is in full force and effect in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. "Coupled with history’s greatest Naval Blockade, very little gets into, or out of, Iran! President DJT".
The statement marks Trump’s first public comments directly addressing Task Force Iron Gate, a specialized initiative established by US Central Command (CENTCOM) to broaden Washington's pressure campaign beyond the sea.
According to CENTCOM, the task force was ordered formed on Saturday by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper.
Comprising an internal staff of approximately 20 military and civilian personnel based at CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida, the unit is tasked with coordinating with interagency US partners to track, interdict, and disrupt the flow of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technology, sanctioned materials, and illicit revenue across Iran’s terrestrial borders and through the Caspian Sea.
"The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea," Cooper said in the CENTCOM directive announcing the formation of the group.
"Strengthening CENTCOM's collaboration with US interagency partners will further constrain Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories, and replenish their military."
The expansion toward overland and northern maritime transit corridors follows months of intensive naval operations by the US military around the Strait of Hormuz and southern Iranian ports.
According to CENTCOM estimates, the maritime blockade has blocked Iran from exporting over $25 billion in crude oil in recent months, pushing Iranian crude production down to historical lows.
Task Force Iron Gate is designed to counter Tehran's alternative trade and supply routes with neighboring states and regional trading partners, seeking to close transit pathways that bypass traditional maritime chokepoints.
