Iran’s Revolutionary Guards launch a major naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz as indirect nuclear negotiations with the US are set to resume.

TEHRAN: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched a major military drill in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

The exercise comes just a day before a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States is scheduled to begin.

The IRGC’s public relations division stated the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise aims to assess the operational readiness of its naval forces.

It also seeks to evaluate security plans for potential military responses to threats in the region.

“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,” the statement said.

The drill is intended to demonstrate Iran’s geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most critical maritime choke points.

It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to open waters.

This show of force occurs amid heightened regional tensions following US military deployments.

US President Donald Trump confirmed on Friday that a second US aircraft carrier would be sent to the Middle East.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and a fleet of destroyers are already stationed in the region.

Despite these rising tensions, a new round of nuclear talks is set for Tuesday in Geneva under Omani mediation.

Indirect diplomacy resumed in Muscat earlier this month after an eight-month suspension.

Talks were paused following an Israeli attack on Iran that sparked a 12-day war.

 The Sun Malaysia