US task force targets Iran land transit routes

The United States military announced it will create a 20-member task force to disrupt land routes into Iran, which it claims are used for shipping weapons and illicit materials, expanding on its naval blockade during the eight-month war. The team, based in Florida and comprising civilian and military personnel, will coordinate with US agencies to prevent the movement of advanced weapons, dual-use technologies, and illegal revenue across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea, according to CENTCOM chief Brad Cooper. Iran's Revolutionary Guard dismissed the effort, saying it will fail and cannot collapse the economy, while CENTCOM noted the naval blockade has already prevented over $25 billion in Iranian crude oil exports.