US Creates Iron Gate Task Force to Curb Iran's Arms Trafficking in the Caspian Sea

The United States announced the creation of Task Force Iron Gate, based in Tampa, Florida, aimed at combating the movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned materials that Iran moves across its land borders and the Caspian Sea. The initiative seeks to complement the naval blockade Washington maintains over Iranian ports.

Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), announced the formation of the group on November 7. It is a small team, made up of both civilian and military personnel, that will operate within the Tampa headquarters and coordinate efforts with agencies such as the Departments of the Treasury, State and Justice, as well as the intelligence community, to curb weapons, dual-use technologies and illicit revenue flows.

According to Maritime Executive, the naval blockade had already managed to cut off around 80% of the trade that previously entered Iran by sea, mainly through Bandar Abbas. In recent days, vessels sailing between Russia and Iran across the Caspian Sea stopped transmitting AIS signals on approaches to Bandar Anzali, Nowshahr and Amirabad, as well as Makhachkala, Olya and Astrakhan on the Russian side, while rail traffic into Iran via Turkmenistan increased by up to 40% in recent months.

A Reuters investigation, cited by Baird Maritime, revealed that Iran set up a secret network of military agencies that, since January 2025, has imported at least $2 billion in hardware, explosives and heavy trucks, evading both the US naval blockade and Western sanctions. That material entered the country via cargo vessels crossing the Caspian from Russia, by truck from Central Asia, and by cargo aircraft from China.

Maritime Executive noted that the biggest challenge for Iron Gate will be truck traffic from Turkey into northwestern Iran, where vehicles currently wait up to five days to cross the Bazargan border crossing. Turkey, a NATO member with practical ties to Iran and Russia, is expected to enforce UN sanctions, though without prioritizing the easing of congestion at border crossings.

Baird Maritime noted that the move comes more than eight months after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran, and that CENTCOM estimates its naval blockade has already blocked more than $25 billion in Iranian crude oil exports. Mediators have stepped up efforts in recent days to end the conflict, while President Donald Trump has threatened a new offensive against Iran.