CENTCOM said on Nov. 7 its commander ordered the creation of Task Force Iron
Gate, a roughly 20-person civil-military team based in Tampa, Florida. The unit
will coordinate with other U.S. agencies to prevent advanced weapons systems,
dual-use technology, sanctioned goods and illicit financial flows from
transiting Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea. CENTCOM said the task force
consolidates recent maritime pressure and is intended to further constrain
Iran's ability to fund terrorism, rebuild weapons production capacity and
replenish forces. It added U.S. maritime measures in recent months have cost
Iran more than $25 billion in crude export revenue and that strict controls on
vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports remain in place.
