Guards say plan won’t pressure Iran; Iran ridicules Trump task force iron gate as midterms disaster distraction

US announces Iron Gate task force

US Central Command announced the task force on Saturday, 7 November. The group, based in Tampa, Florida, includes 20 civilian and military personnel coordinating with government agencies. CENTCOM said the effort would target the movement across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials and illegal revenue streams. The Trump administration presented the plan as its latest attempt to break the war deadlock.

Iran rejects the plan

Speaking on Monday, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the task force as a way to deflect from US midterm results. Trump’s Republicans lost their majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate the previous week.

Islamic Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi said the plan would not work. He told Fars news agency that the United States could not bring about Iran’s economic collapse through this approach, and cited earlier US claims that collapse would come within a fortnight.

US cites blockade’s impact

Admiral Brad Cooper said the task force reinforced what he called the success of the US naval blockade against Iran. He said closer coordination with government partners would further constrain Iran’s ability to finance terrorism, rebuild weapons factories and replenish its military.

The US military claimed the blockade had stopped Iran from exporting more than $25bn in crude oil. The article also says voters blamed Trump for the unpopular Iran war and the rise in fuel costs that followed.

China urges political solutions

Baghaei welcomed possible Chinese involvement in reducing regional tensions. Chinese special envoy to the Middle East Zhai Jun said he was discussing stronger ties with Iran’s Bagheri Khan, deputy secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.