An aerial view of the Iranian coast and Bandar Abbas harbor in the Strait of Hormuz. file | Photo credit: Reuters
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began a series of military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (February 16, 2026), state media reported, amid talks with the United States.
The war games, the duration of which was not specified, are aimed at preparing the Guards for “potential security and military threats” in the strait, after the United States deploys a large naval force to the region, state TV said. Iranian hardliners have repeatedly threatened to block the strait, especially during heightened tensions with the United States, but it has never been closed.
The strategic waterway has 20% of the world’s oil production passing through it. Iranian media reported that the exercises, overseen by Guards Chief General Mohammad Pakpour, are aimed at enhancing the IRGC’s ability to respond quickly. The Guards are the ideological unit of the Iranian army.
The drills come as Tehran and Washington prepare for a new round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday (February 16, 2026) brokered by Oman. It also comes at a time of heavy US military deployment in the Gulf.
The decades-old foes resumed nuclear talks in Oman on February 6, their first since a diplomatic breakdown last June in the Iran-Israel war when Israel and the United States attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities.
US President Donald Trump has been pressuring Iran to strike a deal, particularly following the recent US naval deployment to the region, which he described as an “armada”.
After sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and escort warships to the Gulf in January, Mr Trump said on Friday (Feb 13, 20276) that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, would depart for the Middle East “very soon”.
On Monday (February 16), IRGC Navy officer Mohammad Akbarzadeh warned that all foreign ships in the region were “under full surveillance surveillance and within reach of our defense force”.
“The armed forces are fully prepared, monitor enemy movements and never ignore threats,” he said. IRNA The news agency says.
Published – February 16, 2026 10:38 pm IST
