U.S. efforts to disrupt Iran’s military supply chains are expanding beyond sanctions and its naval blockade, increasingly targeting the overland routes and Caspian Sea waterways Tehran uses to acquire weapons components, equipment and technology.
The strategy reflects Washington’s growing focus on the alternative channels Iran relies on to sustain its defense industries, including its ballistic missile and drone program.
Washington can undermine those networks by using intelligence to track and interfere with shipments to slow the flow of components and increase transportation and procurement costs, Brig. Gen. Ayman al-Rousan, a retired Jordanian military officer and defense expert told MBN.
But given Iran’s varied geography, expansive borders and the volume of trade with its neighbors Washington will struggle to shut down every route available to Tehran, Al-Rousan said.
Iran relies on a complex supply network to obtain equipment and materials for its defense industries. That network encompasses maritime, land and air transport routes and is underpinned by commercial and military ties with Russia, China and other regional countries.
A Reuters investigation published in October found that Iran has established a covert network of military agencies to circumvent Western sanctions and import equipment, explosives and heavy-duty trucks that can double as missile launchers. Shipments worth at least $2 billion have moved through the Caspian Sea, overland and on cargo flights from China since January 2025, it said.
Iran’s Supply Chain Calculations
The Caspian Sea, bordered by Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, is a critical route in Tehran’s supply network. It gives Tehran a direct maritime link to Russia, away from the southern sea lanes in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman where U.S. forces maintain a presence.
The corridor also provides access to commercial transportation routes linking Iran to other parts of Central Asia.
Its importance also extends beyond bilateral shipping. The Caspian is connected to Russia’s wider river network through the Volga-Don Canal, which allows vessels to travel between the Caspian Sea and other Russian waterways, including routes leading to the Sea of Azov.
Meanwhile, overland routes through Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iraq and Pakistan offer additional options for moving supplies and reducing reliance on maritime corridors subject to U.S. monitoring.
Military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow has further increased the strategic importance of the Caspian Sea, particularly since Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones, while Moscow has provided Tehran with military equipment.
Russia has shipped drone components, ammunition and explosives to Iran across the Caspian Sea, according to an August report by NBC News citing a European government document. More than 24 Russian vessels had crossed the sea to deliver such supplies to the port of Amirabad in Iran’s Mazandaran province, the report said.
Al-Rousan said these alternative corridors allow Iran transport equipment, spare parts, electronic components and technologies needed to sustain its military production, particularly its ballistic missile and drone programs.
Expanding the Scope of U.S. Pressure
The United States began its naval blockade against Iran in April as negotiations to end the conflict broke down. After a pause in line with a ceasefire agreement, it was reinstated again in July.
On Nov. 7, U.S. Central Command announced that it had formed Task Force Iron Gateway to expand pressure on Iran’s supply routes to include overland corridors and the Caspian Sea.
The task force consists of about 20 civilian and military personnel based in Tampa, Florida, Central Command said. They coordinate with other U.S. government agencies to disrupt the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies and sanctioned materials and “illicit revenue flows” across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea, it added.
The task force will further restrict Tehran’s ability to expand its military arsenal, rebuild weapons factories and finance activities that Washington considers destabilizing, said commander Adm. Brad Cooper.
Legal Constraints
The mission faces legal constraints, particularly in the Caspian Sea, which is not considered an international waterway. The five bordering states exercise sovereign rights over its waters.
The 2018 Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea prohibits the presence of armed forces belonging to countries outside those states in its waters. This makes the operational environment there fundamentally different from that of the Persian Gulf, where the United States maintains a substantial military presence.
Centcom’s announcement did not provide details on how shipments would be intercepted or prevented from passing through.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, described the formation of the U.S. task force as “nothing more than a play on words.” It said Washington would not achieve its objectives and that Iran was prepared to withstand the pressure while maintaining close relations with neighboring countries.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
