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Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps connected Monday (February 16, 2026) began a bid of subject exercises successful the Strait of Hormuz, authorities media reported, connected the eve of talks with the United States.
The warfare games, the duration of which was not specified, purpose to hole the Guards for "potential information and subject threats" successful the strait, authorities TV said, aft the United States deployed a ample naval unit to the area. Iranian hardline politicians person repeatedly threatened to artifact the strait, particularly during times of heightened tensions with the United States, but it has ne'er been closed.
The strategical waterway sees astir 20% of the world's lipid accumulation walk done it. The exercises, overseen by Guards main General Mohammad Pakpour, purpose to bolster the IRGC's quality to respond quickly, Iranian media reported. The Guards are the ideological limb of Iran's military.
The drills instrumentality spot arsenic Tehran and Washington hole for a caller circular of talks successful Geneva connected Tuesday (February 16, 2026), mediated by Oman. It besides comes astatine a clip of dense U.S. subject deployment successful the Gulf.
The decades-long enemies resumed atomic negotiations connected February 6 successful Oman, their archetypal since diplomacy broke down past June during the Iran-Israel war, which saw Israel and the United States onslaught Iranian atomic facilities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Iran to scope an agreement, particularly with caller U.S. naval unit deployments to the portion that helium has described arsenic an "armada".
After sending the craft bearer USS Abraham Lincoln and escort battleships to the Gulf successful January, Mr. Trump said connected Friday (February 13, 20276) that a 2nd craft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, would depart "very soon" for the Middle East.
On Monday (February 16), IRGC Navy authoritative Mohammad Akbarzadeh warned that each overseas ships successful the portion were "under afloat quality surveillance and wrong the scope of our defence power".
"The equipped forces are afloat prepared, monitoring the enemy's movements and ne'er ignoring threats," helium was quoted by the state-run IRNA quality bureau arsenic saying.
