Iran and Russia will conduct joint navy drills in the Gulf of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean region on Thursday, according to Iranian media.
This comes a day after Iran said it was temporarily closing parts of the Strait of Hormuz due to “security precautions” as its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Cops conducted military drills in the strategic waterway.
“The main goal of the exercise is to enhance security and sustainable maritime interactions in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean,” Fars news agency cited an Iranian navy commander as saying.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the most important waterways in the world as it links the Middle East’s crude oil producers with key markets, making it vital to the global energy supply.
Despite threats, the politically sensitive strait has never been previously closed by Iran.
The naval military drills come amid simmering tension and fears of renewed conflict despite progress being made in nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington. The US warned that it would attack Iran if a deal is not reached. It has significantly increased its naval postings in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the IRGC drills in the Strait of Hormuz appeared designed to send a warning to Washington about Iran's ability to retaliate at sea to any strikes. MarineTraffic, a ships monitor, showed normal activity in the area on Wednesday morning, but there was no official comment from Iran about the strait reopening.
US website Axios reported on Wednesday that the administration of US President Donald Trump is closer to a major war in the Middle East than most Americans realise. “It could begin very soon,” it said, quoting sources.
A US military operation in Iran would probably be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like a full-fledged war than last month's pinpoint operation in Venezuela, according to the sources.
They said it would probably be a joint US-Israeli campaign that is much broader in scope – and more existential for the regime – than the Israeli-led 12-day war in June last year, which the US eventually joined by bombing three Iranian nuclear sites.
“Such a war would have a dramatic influence on the entire region and major implications for the remaining three years of the Trump presidency,” it added.
The commander of the Iranian navy, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said the presence of military vessels from outside the region was “unjustifiable”.
He warned against any foreign show of force, saying “they should know that the Iranian people will confront them with greater strength”.
A spokeswoman for the Iranian government said on Wednesday that “negotiations and defensive preparedness are two integrated and simultaneous strategies to protect the country’s interests and maintain national security”.
She said that Iran's “forces are on full alert, and the necessary arrangements have been made in accordance with security requirements”.
The second round of talks concluded in Geneva on Tuesday, with US Vice President JD Vance saying progress was made but that “certain red lines” remain.
He said the Iranians “are not yet willing to actually acknowledge and work through” the red lines set by Mr Trump. These include zero nuclear enrichment, giving up its ballistic missile programme, and an end to its support for regional armed groups.
But Mr Vance said the negotiation “in some ways … went well” and that the Iranians had agreed to meet again.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi presented a comprehensive report on the talks to the cabinet on Wednesday, according to Iranian media.
Mr Araghchi said on Tuesday that the talks yielded a consensus on “general guiding principles” for a potential nuclear deal. He said the two sides would begin drafting texts of a possible nuclear deal before reconvening.
“The atmosphere was more constructive in this round of negotiations,” said the Iranian minister. “Both sides still have viewpoints that will take time to converge, but now we have a set of guiding principles according to which we are moving forward.”
