🔶 Can America blockade Iran from land?
Report by Daniel Omri
Iran's naval blockade is now added to the plan to restrict land routes. Donald Trump's administration wants to make it harder for the Islamic Republic to access military equipment, sensitive technologies and financial resources by expanding surveillance of border exchanges. However, unlike the sea lanes, where the movement of ships can be controlled at specific points, the implementation of such a policy in Iran's land borders requires the cooperation of several countries.
Iran has almost six thousand kilometers of shared borders with seven countries. Trade relations with Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan and the countries of Central Asia, along with the Caspian Sea route to Russia, created a network of regional exchanges whose full control is beyond the direct authority of the United States.
On Monday, November 9, US President Donald Trump announced that Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait support the continuation of the Iranian blockade, after speaking with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister of Qatar. He wrote on the social network the truth that these countries want to maintain maritime restrictions and implement the new "Iron Gate" operation. Trump also emphasized that preventing the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons is a non-negotiable issue.
The Central Command of the US Army, CENTCOM, announced the establishment of a special task force called "Iron Gate" on November 7.
According to Centcom's statement, about 20 military and civilian forces stationed at this command's headquarters in Florida will be responsible for coordinating with other American organizations to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctions goods and illegal financial resources from the borders of Iran and the Caspian Sea.
As a result, contrary to Trump's description of a ground blockade, the announced structure of the operation at this stage focuses more on coordinating intelligence and limiting supply networks for sensitive goods, instead of deploying forces to physically close all border crossings.