Iran holds military drills in Strait of Hormuz on eve of Geneva talks with US
The drill comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington following US military buildup in the Gulf region.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has started a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz, a day before a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.
A statement by the IRGC’s public relations division on Monday said the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise aims to assess the operational readiness of its naval forces.
It said the training also aims to evaluate security plans and scenarios for reciprocal military action in response to potential security and military threats in the Strait of Hormuz region and demonstrate Iran’s geopolitical advantages.
“The rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response of IRGC operational forces to anti-security plots in the maritime domain is at the core of the intelligence and operational exercises of the units participating in the drill,” the statement said.
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically important choke points, lies between the Gulf and Oman and provides the only sea passage from the Gulf to open waters.
The drill comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, following the deployment of US aircraft carriers and bombers to the Persian Gulf region.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that a second US aircraft carrier would be deployed to the Middle East.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and a fleet of destroyers are already stationed in the region amid simmering tensions between the two countries.
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, warned on Sunday that any war against the country would serve as “a lesson” for the US president.
Despite rising tensions, Tehran and Washington are set to hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday under Omani mediation.
Tehran and Washington restarted negotiations this month after previous talks collapsed when Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran last June.
The latest talks follow repeated threats from Trump of military action against Tehran, first over Iran's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests, and then more recently over the country's nuclear programme.
The West fears the programme is aimed at making a bomb, which Tehran denies.