Iron Gate: America Takes the Iran Blockade Ashore — and Onto the Caspian

CENTCOM's new task force targets the trucks, freight routes and Caspian cargo ships that a Reuters investigation says brought at least $2 billion in hardware into Iran. Here is what it is, what it is not, and why Russia sits at the center of it.

By Clara Hughes

For months, the U.S. naval blockade of Iran has been a story about the sea — tankers turned back, ships disabled, oil kept off the market. On Saturday, Central Command moved the fight to land. Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, directed the creation of Task Force Iron Gate, a team of about 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida. Its job, CENTCOM said, is to coordinate with other U.S. agencies on stopping the movement of "advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea." "The establishment of Task Force Iron Gate reinforces the success of our ironclad blockade against Iran at sea," Cooper said. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: the