The USA wants to blockade Iran from land and the Caspian Sea, as well as from Hormuz

Following the war launched by the USA and Israel against Iran, the Washington administration is trying to put pressure on Tehran with a "blockade" as well as sanctions.

In addition to sanctions, the USA first launched a naval blockade against Iran around the Strait of Hormuz on April 13.

With this blockade, the USA prevents the passage of ships going to Iran or sent from this country to other countries.

Due to the failure to implement the agreement reached through Pakistan in June, the USA has now announced a new initiative to blockade Iran by land and the Caspian Sea in order to increase economic pressure.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the establishment of a military task force called "Iron Gate" on November 7.

According to CENTCOM's statement, the task force, which will be deployed at the US air base in Tampa, Florida, will coordinate with other US institutions to prevent Iran's arms shipments across land borders and the Caspian Sea, technology transfer used in both civilian and military fields, material shipments subject to US unilateral sanctions, and "illegal" revenue movements.

This initiative consists of a CENTCOM task force of approximately 20 people.

The initiative called "Iron Gate" is not a military force that can physically close Iran's borders.

Therefore, experts state that the success of the project depends on intelligence, sanctions, border control and cooperation between countries rather than direct military force.

Iran has borders with 7 neighbors

Iran, where the USA aims to intensify the blockade with the "Iron Gate"; It has land borders with 7 countries: Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Armenia and Afghanistan.

In addition, Russia, which opposes sanctions on Tehran, has connections with Iran via the Caspian Sea.

According to experts, the chances of success of the "Iron Gate" initiative's land blockade against Iran are quite low. Because, if the USA increases inspections on border crossings with some countries, it may allow trade to shift to other routes.

It is stated that especially the attitudes of neighboring countries towards maintaining their economic relations with Iran directly affect the availability of these alternative channels. It is also noted that the extension of road and railway connections to different countries prevents trade from being dependent on a single border line.

In addition, Russia and China's opposition to and non-implementation of US sanctions reduces the feasibility of the blockade.

It is also considered that the fact that Moscow and Beijing largely do not adopt the US's sanctions policies and maintain their economic relations with Tehran may limit the scope of Washington's control mechanisms.

The USA has no control in the Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea also stands out as an important area affecting the implementation capacity of the project. The USA has no maritime control in the region where Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are coastal. For this reason, limiting Iran's trade through the Caspian depends on the cooperation of these countries with the USA on this issue.

Finally, the fact that road and rail transportation passes through the sovereign areas of different countries limits the United States' capacity for direct intervention. Customs procedures, transit passages and border inspections are under the authority of the relevant countries. Differences between regional countries' relations with Iran and their approaches to US sanctions also make it difficult to establish a common control mechanism.

Although it is possible for the United States to block certain shipments, increase supply costs, and dismantle some trade networks under these circumstances, cutting off all alternative trade routes and military supply links for Iran would require much more comprehensive international cooperation.

If Iran's trade channels are completely cut off, Tehran's increasing pressure on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and its threats to the energy infrastructure in the Gulf are considered among the possible responses that could lead to further escalation of regional tension.