An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the Port of Bandar Abbas within the strait of Hormuz. File
| Photograph Credit score: Reuters
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday (February 16, 2026) started a collection of army workout routines within the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported, on the eve of talks with the USA.
The struggle video games, the length of which was not specified, intention to arrange the Guards for “potential safety and army threats” within the strait, state TV mentioned, after the USA deployed a big naval drive to the realm. Iranian hardline politicians have repeatedly threatened to dam the strait, particularly throughout instances of heightened tensions with the USA, however it has by no means been closed.
The strategic waterway sees about 20% of the world’s oil manufacturing cross by it. The workout routines, overseen by Guards chief Basic Mohammad Pakpour, intention to bolster the IRGC’s potential to react shortly, Iranian media reported. The Guards are the ideological arm of Iran’s army.
The drills happen as Tehran and Washington put together for a brand new spherical of talks in Geneva on Tuesday (February 16, 2026), mediated by Oman. It additionally comes at a time of heavy U.S. army deployment within the Gulf.
The decades-long enemies resumed nuclear negotiations on February 6 in Oman, their first since diplomacy broke down final June throughout the Iran-Israel struggle, which noticed Israel and the USA strike Iranian nuclear amenities.
U.S. President Donald Trump has been pressuring Iran to achieve an settlement, particularly with current U.S. naval drive deployments to the area that he has described as an “armada”.
After sending the plane service USS Abraham Lincoln and escort battleships to the Gulf in January, Mr. Trump mentioned on Friday (February 13, 20276) {that a} second plane service, the Gerald R. Ford, would depart “very quickly” for the Center East.
On Monday (February 16), IRGC Navy official Mohammad Akbarzadeh warned that each one overseas ships within the area have been “underneath full intelligence surveillance and inside the attain of our defence energy”.
“The armed forces are totally ready, monitoring the enemy’s actions and by no means ignoring threats,” he was quoted by the state-run IRNA information company as saying.
Printed – February 16, 2026 10:38 pm IST
