The US also intends to block Iran's land supply routes: a special group has been formed
The US is expanding the blockade on Iran's maritime supply routes to land routes as well.
The United States has established the Iron Gate special group to prevent Iran from transporting weapons and other materials by land. This was announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM), Al Jazeera wrote.
The new structure was established as part of expanding the US naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz. The group will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will cooperate with other US government agencies.
According to CENTCOM, the special group will work to stop the movement of weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illicit revenues through Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.
According to Michael Mulroy, former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East, the group will study ways to identify and interdict weapons supply routes. He emphasized that if US President Donald Trump decides to expand the war, subsequent strikes could be directed at Iran's economic and infrastructure facilities.
At the same time, CENTCOM reported on Saturday that it had disabled a commercial vessel that failed to comply with the blockade imposed on Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. A US military aircraft struck the stern of the M/V Huda, sailing under the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
According to the command, since July, US forces have redirected 147 commercial vessels under the blockade and disabled five commercial vessels that failed to comply with demands.
On the other hand, Iran's IRNA news agency reported on Saturday that two explosions were heard on Qeshm Island and several in the cities of Jask, Sirik, and Bandar Abbas. US President Donald Trump confirmed a day earlier that new strikes had been carried out on Qeshm Island, but called them "small."
The Naval Forces of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that naval mines struck two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. According to Iranian state television, the tankers, which passed through the dangerous part of the strait with navigation systems turned off, were seriously damaged and stopped moving.
