US tightening economic pressure on Iran, preparing military options: analyst

The US military has announced the creation of a 20-member task force, based in Florida, to disrupt land routes into Iran used for shipments of weapons, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams. According to US Central Command chief Brad Cooper, the task force of civilian and military personnel will coordinate with US government agencies to prevent movement across Iran's land borders and the Caspian Sea.

The effort aims to constrain Iran's ability to replenish its military, rebuild weapons factories, and finance terrorism.

These new restrictions would expand upon a US naval blockade of Iranian ports during an eight-month war between the two countries. This naval blockade was implemented after Tehran restricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that choked global energy supplies. According to Free Malaysia Today, the blockade has halted approximately $25 billion in crude oil exports from Iran.

Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that Washington's latest bid will fail and that the United States will never be able to impose the economic blockade it is pursuing. Ajer English reports that political analyst Tarek Al-Shami suggests the US is intensifying its economic blockade while building up forces for a potential military strike.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post, Ajel English, Hindustan Times - World News, Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.