President Donald Trump says the blockade is in effect, after US Central Command established a task force on 7 November 2026 to coordinate efforts to disrupt Iran’s supply routes.
US President Donald Trump says Washington’s blockade of Iran’s land supply routes is in effect, Al Jazeera said on 9 November 2026. The report gives no enforcement locations or documented interceptions.
The statement follows US Central Command’s announcement on 7 November that it had established Task Force Iron Gate to coordinate efforts to disrupt Iran’s supply routes. The command oversees US military operations in the Middle East and said its naval blockade enforcement had been operating since July.
Central Command said the task force, based in Tampa, Florida, would coordinate with other US agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and what Washington calls illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea. Dual-use technologies have both civilian and military uses.
An unnamed US military official told Reuters that the Treasury, State and Justice Departments and the intelligence community were expected to participate. Central Command’s commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, said closer cooperation would further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories and replenish its military.
A Reuters investigation found that a secret network of Iranian military agencies had imported at least $2 billion in hardware, explosives and heavy-duty trucks since January 2025, evading Western sanctions and the US naval blockade. It traced supplies by cargo ship across the Caspian Sea from Russia, by truck from Central Asia and by freight aircraft from China.
Central Command estimated that the naval blockade had prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion in crude oil. That estimate concerns the existing blockade at sea, not the land operation.
Michael Mulroy, a former US deputy assistant defense secretary for the Middle East, said he expected the task force to identify incoming weapons routes and how Iran transports its energy. He predicted that economic and infrastructure targets could be attacked if Trump ordered an escalation; he did not describe an approved operation.
Iran’s official news agency IRNA said two explosions were heard on 7 November on Qeshm Island and several in Jask, Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Trump said renewed strikes were “highly unlikely” if talks made progress on Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
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Update ·
Trump says the blockade of Iran's land supply routes is in effect, following the announcement of the coordination task force.
