Iran fired live missiles into the Strait of Hormuz during naval drills Tuesday and signaled it is prepared to close the strategic waterway if ordered by senior leadership, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.
The drills come as President Donald Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting senior Iranian officials in Geneva for a second round of nuclear talks.
Rear Adm. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy, said Tehran stands ready to shut down the strait, a critical global oil transit route, according to Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the IRGC.
Tasnim said traffic through the shipping corridor was suspended for several hours during the "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz" exercise, which included missile launches from vessels, coastal positions and inland sites, as well as drone operations conducted in signal-jamming conditions.
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U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously urged the IRGC in late January to carry out its announced two-day live-fire naval exercise "in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic."
"U.S. forces acknowledge Iran’s right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters. Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization," it said.
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The Trump administration has built up a large military presence in the Middle East as talks over Iran’s nuclear program continue, with U.S. officials signaling that any potential agreement would need to go beyond enrichment and address broader security concerns.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in February that for negotiations to be "meaningful," they would need to address Iran’s ballistic missiles, its sponsorship of terrorist organizations across the region, its nuclear program and its treatment of its own people.
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Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday that he would be involved in the talks "indirectly."
"They'll be very important and we'll see what can happen. It's been – typically Iran's a very tough negotiator. They're good negotiators or bad. I would say they're bad negotiators because we could have had a deal instead of sending the B-2's in to knock out their nuclear potential," he said. "And we had to send the B-2's. I hope they're going to be more reasonable. They want to make a deal."
