US announces Iron Gate task force to block Iran's land routes as Hormuz tanker fires mount

A land blockade added to the naval one

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday, 7 November, a new task force called Iron Gate, meant to block Iran's trade over land and complement the naval blockade of Iranian ports. The stated aim is to stop advanced weapons, dual-use technology, sanctioned materials and illicit revenue from moving across Iran's land borders and through the Caspian Sea. The group will be based in Tampa, Florida, and about 20 civilian and military personnel will coordinate with other US government agencies. An anonymous US military official said the Treasury, State and Justice departments and intelligence agencies could take part in the effort. Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM's commander, said the group reinforces the success of the sea blockade, which CENTCOM says has kept Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil.

Vessels disabled and tankers ablaze

On 7 November CENTCOM said it had disabled the commercial ship M/V Huda, which flies the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, in the Gulf of Oman. The statement says the crew ignored repeated warnings and tried to break the blockade, and that US forces had ordered the crew out of the target zones before aircraft fired precision munitions at the vessel's stern. CENTCOM added that since July it has redirected 147 ships and disabled five vessels that refused orders, and that ten Iranian tankers from what it described as a Revolutionary Guard shadow fleet network have been destroyed. The statement warned that all mariners transiting Iranian coasts or nearby waters must follow blockade notices.

Ships redirected since July147

Ships disabled since July5

Iranian tankers destroyed10

Ships redirected since July

147

Ships disabled since July

5

Iranian tankers destroyed

10

Data from the article text

Iran's Revolutionary Guards reported on Saturday, 7 November, that three tankers had been hit by naval mines in the Strait of Hormuz and caught fire. On Sunday, 8 November, the Guards said up to three more tankers had exploded and caught fire since early that morning, after switching off their navigation and identification systems and passing without following Iranian instructions. Taken together, the two reports would bring the number of affected tankers to six in two days. The Guards warned that vessels which do not follow Iranian rules and cooperate with the United States would meet a similar fate. Iran has limited passage through the strait in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on its territory, a move that has pushed oil prices up worldwide because the route carries crude from the region.

Tehran's response

Hossein Mohebi, a Revolutionary Guards spokesman, said the plan would fail and would not bring about the collapse of Iran's economy. He argued that the United States would never impose the economic blockade it is pursuing under different names and plans, and that Washington is unable to block Iran's land communication routes with its neighbours. According to Mohebi as carried by Fars, Iranian authorities had already taken preparatory steps and were in close contact with neighbouring states to counter the initiative. Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said the task force would need to identify where the weapons systems come from, work out how their flow can be stopped, and monitor how Iran moves its resources. In August Washington had said it aimed to asphyxiate Iran's already damaged economy in response to Iran's closure of the strait.

Escalation risk and diplomacy

Axios reported, as cited by La Razon, that CENTCOM is finishing preparations for a possible large-scale air offensive against nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure and missile arsenals, while awaiting new orders. The same reporting cited the arrival in Europe of an RC-135U Combat Sent reconnaissance aircraft and the transfer of C-17 heavy transport planes to Israel. The Times reported that Iranian authorities had handed out iodine tablets to people near nuclear sites, because they feared the Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La massif, known in English as Pickaxe, could be among the first targets. On Thursday, 5 November, after meeting his national security advisers for the first time since the midterm elections, President Donald Trump said developments would come soon and that he might have to destroy more of the country. Qatar is leading regional mediation to avoid a new escalation.