Russia and Iran criticise US Caspian 'Iron Gate' task force

Russia and Iran have criticised the creation of a new task force by the US military to monitor land and sea transit routes north of Iran and in the Caspian Sea, a move that expands Washington's blockade.

Russia's Foreign Ministry described Washington's plan to form a task force to monitor and block Iran's trade and transport routes in the Caspian region as a clear threat to the rights and interests of the littoral states, adding that security in the Caspian Sea is an internal matter that concerns only the five states bordering it.

The Russian foreign ministry said it considers this latest escalatory and provocative step a blatant violation of the norms of international law, and declared its full support for the position of the Iranian authorities that continued economic pressure will not succeed in collapsing Iran's economy.

The reaction came after United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on 7 November the creation of the 'Iron Gate' task force, a unit whose stated aim is to prevent the transfer of advanced weapons and dual-use items to Iran via land borders and the Caspian Sea.

CENTCOM also stressed in a statement posted on X on Wednesday that US forces are working around the clock to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to commercial shipping, to enforce rigorously an 'Iron Maritime Blockade' against Iran, and to work with US partner institutions to prevent the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from using land routes and the Caspian Sea to move advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned items and illicit revenue streams.

Meanwhile, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said after meeting the Russian ambassador in Tehran that the two sides had discussed how to counter unilateral US measures and the 'Iron Gate' programme and had emphasised the need for coordination in the face of common threats.

Gharibabadi stated that Tehran and Moscow stress the need for coordination and cooperation in the face of common threats, adding that the interests of the littoral states will also be served by maintaining stability and security in the Caspian.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and the Critical Threats Project (CTP) said in their latest joint assessment that Iran and Russia are cooperating to counter US efforts to stop weapons shipments to Iran via the Caspian Sea and land routes.

The ISW study said Iran has used its Caspian Sea trade routes with Russia to import Russian arms before and during the 2026 US-Israel-Iran War, which prompted Ukraine to strike a shipment in July 2026.

According to the think tank's analysis, the Caspian Sea is out of the Western monitoring bodies' reach, allowing sanctioned Russian cargo ships to move consignments from the ports of Astrakhan and Olya to the ports of Anzali, Nowshahr and Amirabad. An examination of recent maritime traffic data shows that, after loading in the ports of Astrakhan and Olya, sanctioned Russian cargo ships transfer their cargoes to the Iranian ports, and as these ships approach the shores of the two countries, they switch off their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) to conceal the nature of their cargoes.