Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has commenced a\nseries of military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state\nmedia reported the drills ahead of negotiations with the United\nStates.<\/p>\n
As reported by AFP on Monday (16\/2\/2026), the war exercises, of\nunspecified duration, aim to prepare the Guard against \u201cpotential\nsecurity and military threats\u201d in the strait, state television said,\nafter the US deployed a significant naval force to the region.<\/p>\n
Iranian hardline politicians have repeatedly threatened to block the\nstrait, a strategic waterway through which approximately 20 per cent of\nglobal oil production passes.<\/p>\n
The exercises, overseen by Guard chief General Mohammad Pakpour, aim\nto enhance the IRGC\u2019s ability to react swiftly, Iranian media reported.\nThe Guard is the ideological wing of Iran\u2019s military.<\/p>\n
The drills are taking place as Tehran and Washington prepare for a\nnew round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday (17\/2), mediated by Oman.<\/p>\n
The two nations, adversaries for four decades, resumed discussions on\n6 February in Oman \u2014 the first since diplomacy stalled last June during\nthe Iran-Israel war, which led to Israeli and US strikes on Iranian\nnuclear facilities.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump, who has been pressuring Iran to reach a\ndeal, has deployed a significant naval force to the region, which he\ndescribed as an \u201carmada\u201d.<\/p>\n
After sending the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and escort\nwarships to the Gulf in January, Trump said on Friday (13\/2) that a\nsecond aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, would depart for the Middle\nEast imminently.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/us-deploys-aircraft-carriers-as-irans-revolutionary-guard-conducts-military-exercises-in-strait-of-hormuz-1771299766", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }