One US official and three Iraqis told the NYT that weeks before the task force's Iron Gate announcement, US diplomats tried and failed to pressure countries neighboring Iran to close their land border crossings with Iran. Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey in particular are very reluctant to implement America's plans for fear that the policy could harm their countries like Iran.
Turkey refused to close any border crossings with Iran, while Iraq and Pakistan closed 1-2 crossings at a time as a gesture to the United States, citing reasons unrelated to Iran only to reopen them later.
Iraq fears unrest among smugglers and militants along the Iraq-Iran border that is not fully controlled by the Iraqi government. An American official said that neighboring countries fear a "civil uprising" if the smuggling and trade routes with Iran are shut down.