The commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, ordered the establishment of the Iron Gate Task Force, an internal force of about 20 military and civilian personnel that will operate from the CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida to prevent Iran from delivering advanced weapons and other materials through land routes, CENTCOM announced today. This task force will coordinate with other US government agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, approved materials, and illicit proceeds across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. Admiral Cooper said it "affirms the success of our strong naval blockade against Iran" and "further limits Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild its weapons production facilities and replenish its military stockpiles." CENTCOM claims that the naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion of crude oil in recent months. According to the "New York Times", since the blockade began, Iran has switched to using land, rail and sea routes across the Caspian Sea. Shipments from Russia across the Caspian Sea, road transport from Pakistan and Turkey and Iranian efforts to export oil by train to China are reported.

The commander of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, ordered the establishment of the Iron Gate Task Force, an internal force of about 20 military and civilian personnel that will operate from the CENTCOM headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida to prevent Iran from delivering advanced weapons and other materials through land routes, CENTCOM announced today. This task force will coordinate with other US government agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, approved materials, and illicit proceeds across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. Admiral Cooper said it "affirms the success of our strong naval blockade against Iran" and "further limits Iran's ability to finance terrorism, rebuild its weapons production facilities and replenish its military stockpiles." CENTCOM claims that the naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion of crude oil in recent months. According to the "New York Times", since the blockade began, Iran has switched to using land, rail and sea routes across the Caspian Sea. Shipments from Russia across the Caspian Sea, road transport from Pakistan and Turkey and Iranian efforts to export oil by train to China are reported.