OMM Newsroom
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on November 8 rejected a new US military operation targeting the transport of weapons and sanctioned materials, AnewZ reported. The force’s spokesman, Hossein Mohebbi, said Washington would not be able to isolate Iran’s economy even if it expanded restrictions on sea and land routes.
Mohebbi said Tehran had prepared for additional economic pressure and was maintaining close ties with neighboring countries. He told the semi-official Fars news agency that “the Iron Gate plan is just a play on words” and said the operation would not exert enough pressure to collapse Iran’s economy.
The US initiative, called “Task Force Iron Gate,” targets the movement of advanced weapons and other sanctioned materials across Iran’s land borders and via the Caspian Sea. The operation extends Washington’s existing maritime surveillance measures to land borders and Caspian routes.
Tensions escalated on November 7 after US forces fired on a merchant vessel that had called at an Iranian port and was sailing under the flag of St. Kitts and Nevis. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the ship had tried to breach a naval blockade against Iran.
After US military personnel ordered the crew to leave the targeted areas, an American aircraft carried out precision strikes on the stern of the “M/V Huda.” CENTCOM said the vessel had ignored warnings and repeatedly tried to breach the blockade, and was disabled after the strikes. The incident took place in the Gulf of Oman.
Washington says the naval blockade, in place for months, has prevented Iran from exporting more than $25 billion worth of crude oil. The figure is an estimate by the US military.
US President Donald Trump has threatened further military action against Iran. Tehran has said a new US attack could prompt retaliatory strikes against infrastructure across the Persian Gulf, raising concerns about the consequences of further escalation for neighboring countries.
Iran says its preparations and ties with neighboring countries will help it withstand the new US restrictions. Washington, meanwhile, is continuing efforts to limit Tehran’s trade in sanctioned materials.
