The US has failed to push Iraq, Pakistan and Turkey to close their borders with Iran, undermining Washington’s efforts to restrict Tehran’s land trade routes, a report says.

Washington had spent weeks pressuring Iran’s neighbors to shut down their border crossings, but its diplomatic campaign had failed to secure their cooperation, The New York Times reported.

The latest effort is part of a broader US economic war on Iran after imposing an illegal naval blockade on its ports. Tehran has slammed the measures as "economic terrorism" which came after Washington failed to achieve any of its objectives in the war against Iran.

Washington is now seeking to close Iran’s land routes, effectively demanding that neighboring countries enforce American sanctions against a country with which they maintain vital economic ties, The Times noted.

According to three Iraqi officials and a US official familiar with the discussions, Iraq, Turkey and Pakistan have been the main targets of the pressure campaign, but all three have resisted Washington’s demands.

Iraqi officials told the newspaper that Baghdad had been asked to close all but two of its border crossings with Iran during weekly meetings with US diplomats, including regional envoy Thomas Barrack.

Iraq has refused to comply, although it temporarily closed one or two crossings as a gesture to Washington, triggering considerable public anger over restrictions on cross-border commerce.

The consequences of a wider closure would be particularly severe for Iraq, which obtains more than one-third of the natural gas used to generate its electricity from Iran.

Turkey has largely refused to change its border policies, while Pakistan has repeatedly opened and closed crossings, with its officials citing security concerns and new electronic import procedures.

Pakistan's official annual trade with Iran amounts to around $3 billion, while its dependence on Iranian fuel supplies makes Washington's demands economically damaging for Islamabad.

A US official familiar with the discussions acknowledged that shutting down commercial routes could provoke “civil insurrection” among Iraqi, Pakistani, and Turkish communities living along the borders.

The official also warned that Washington’s pressure campaign was generating resentment among regional partners already angered by the US-Israeli war against Iran and its economic and physical consequences.

Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, described Washington as “an unpredictable and, in some cases, unreliable ally,” adding, “Iran is going to be their neighbor.”

Iran’s geographic advantage breaks into strategic prominence under US blockade

The US blockade has accelerated Iran’s use of its geographic advantage, driving expansion of alternative trade routes, northern ports, railway networks and regional partnerships to strengthen economic resilience and connectivity.

After failing to secure the border closures through diplomatic pressure, Washington announced the so-called Task Force Iron Gate, a new US Central Command (CENTCOM) scheme involving 20 civilian and military personnel based in Florida.

The task force is intended to prevent the movement of goods across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.

A US military official told the newspaper that the personnel would not conduct military strikes themselves but could encourage the already reluctant neighboring countries to deploy their own forces to restrict cross-border activity.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi met with Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov on Tuesday to discuss ways to counter US measures, including the Iron Gate scheme.