IRGC Spokesman Calls US "Iron Gate" Task Force "Wordplay" and Says It Cannot Sever Iran's Trade Routes

IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi said on Sunday, 8 November 2026 (17 Aban 1405), as quoted by Fars, in response to CENTCOM's "Iron Gate" task force, that the plan is "merely wordplay" and cannot achieve the US goal of severe economic pressure on Iran. He described the war as "hybrid", spanning military and economic arenas.

Mohebbi said Iran has good dealings with its neighbours, holds multiple routes and has made the arrangements needed to keep contact with them. He recalled an earlier US assertion that Iran's economy would collapse within two weeks, which did not occur. CENTCOM announced on Saturday, 7 November (16 Aban) that it had formed the task force to curb movement of sanctioned goods along Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea; the report carries no US response.