Iran on Monday began live-fire naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz to prepare for possible security and military threats in the strategic waterway, Iran’s secretary of state said. IRNA news agency.
The exercise, called ‘Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz’, was led by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) naval forces under the supervision of IRGC Commander-in-Chief Major General Mohammad Pakpour, said Iran International.
State media said the exercise was organized to assess the preparedness of operational units, review security plans and practice scenarios for responding to any security and military threats in the area.
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Iran began naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, hours before US-Iran nuclear talks resumed in Geneva. (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The exercises took place within hours of renewed diplomatic efforts between the US and Iran, which began in Geneva, and are aimed at reviving negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to reach a fair and just deal,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X on Monday. “What is not on the table: submission before threats,” he said.
President Donald Trump has ordered a build-up of U.S. forces in the Middle East and threatened to attack Iran if Iran’s leadership does not agree to a deal on its nuclear program.
On Friday, Trump also offered his approval for regime change in Tehran, saying it would be the “best thing that could happen” for Iran.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) demonstrated the US military presence in the region on Monday.
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In a post on
“The aircraft carrier operates in international waters in the Middle East and conducts 24-hour flight operations in support of regional security,” the post said.
The Pentagon has built up what Trump has described as an “armada” in the region.
The USS Abraham Lincoln is present, flanked by three warships equipped with Tomahawk missiles, and is the centerpiece of a broader US naval build-up in the region.
Meanwhile, Tehran said the second round of talks will take place on Tuesday “with the mediation and good offices of Oman.”
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Iran carried out live exercises on Monday after Trump ordered a military build-up in the Middle East and threatened attacks if Iran did not agree to a nuclear deal. (Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Press Office/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Negotiations resumed in Muscat on February 6, after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran in June, sparking a 12-day war and escalating tensions across the region.
On Monday, US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said there was “significant and legitimate doubt that the Iranians would ever agree to anything that would cause them to set aside their nuclear weapons ambitions.”
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Trump also told reporters on Monday: “I will be indirectly involved in those conversations, and they will be very important, and we will see what can happen.”
He added: “I would say they are bad negotiators because we could have made a deal instead of sending the B2s to destroy their nuclear potential. I hope they will be more reasonable. They want to make a deal.”
