US Launches Task Force Iron Gate to Choke Iran's Weapons and Oil Smuggling

The United States on Saturday announced Task Force Iron Gate, a Tampa-based, multi-agency effort to track illegal movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technology, illegal revenue and sanctioned goods across Iran's border and the Caspian Sea.

The task force adds to the existing U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports. Fox News reported the blockade is being extended to ground transport, though the body of its report describes the new effort as monitoring rather than physically blocking land routes.

CENTCOM says that since July, U.S. forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels that complied and disabled five merchant ships that refused. It also says it has destroyed 10 Iranian commercial oil tankers tied to the IRGC's shadow network. On Saturday, U.S. forces disabled the St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda in the Gulf of Oman by firing munitions at its stern after it ignored repeated warnings.

Trump has described recent strikes on Iran's Qeshm Island as "minor strikes" and said there is no return to full-scale war. The Wall Street Journal reported his advisers are divided over resuming strikes or continuing negotiations. Iran reportedly sent a new nuclear proposal through Qatar but insists the U.S. first meet seven conditions, including sanctions relief and an end to the naval blockade.

Separately, internal Russian defense-industry documents published by the Ukrainian research group Dallas Analytics suggest Moscow helped build up Iran's missile arsenal before the war. A contract code-named "K-10" is tied to 90 APU-L twin-rail launchers, with shipments scheduled from late 2024 through December 2025. Trump has said he does not believe Russia is helping Iran "at all."