Iran closes Strait of Hormuz, launches missiles in naval exercises during talks with US

During second round of nuclear deal talks with the US, Iran launches naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz, temporarily shutting down the strategic waterway and conducting live-fire exercises.

By World Israel News Staff

Iran ordered a temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday during live-fire military exercises in the strategically important waterway.

The closure was ordered while American and Iranian negotiators gathered in Geneva, Switzerland, for nuclear talks, marking the second time the countries have discussed possible limits on Iran’s nuclear program since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, a semi-official outlet associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said that the IRGC was holding naval drills in the Strait of Hormuz intended to ensure maritime safety.

Another semi-official Iranian outlet, Fars, reported that the closure lasted several hours, and that Tuesday’s drills were part of a broader exercise that began a day earlier. Iranian authorities said the drills are meant to prepare forces for potential security and military threats, and state media reported that the IRGC’s naval forces began the “main phase” of the exercise on Tuesday.

“The weapon that reaches the battlefield on the day of war is different from what is displayed in exercises,” an IRGC naval commander told Fars.

During the drills, live-fire exercises were conducted, Tasnim said, with the IRGC releasing footage showing missile launches from inside Iranian territory and territorial waters against targets in the Strait of Hormuz.

The exercises are said to span the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — waterways that handle major international shipping and energy flows, with an estimated 20% of the world’s oil supply passing through the area.

The US Navy has dispatched a second aircraft carrier battle group to the region, centered around the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest military vessel.

The USS Abraham Lincoln and its battle group are already active in the Persian Gulf.