Task Force Iron Gate is live.
The unit, led by Admiral Brad Cooper, will operate from Tampa, Florida. It will coordinate with U.S. interagency partners to choke weapons, dual‑use tech and illicit revenue moving across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. The naval blockade, already credited with halting more than $25 billion of crude exports, now gains a land‑based counterpart. Cooper warned that without this over‑land effort, Iran could reroute advanced missile components and loitering munitions like the 358 through neighboring states, undermining regional security and U.S. sanctions.
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi boasted Tehran now exports the Arman missile, Khordad‑3 air‑defence system and the 358 loitering munition. He claimed the move marks a “significant achievement” for Iran’s defence industry.
The task force becomes the latest U.S. lever against Iran’s weapons proliferation.