The Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) reported Wednesday that military spokesperson Hassan Maqsoudlou confirmed the upcoming "joint naval drills," stating they are designed to strengthen ties between the two countries' navies and enhance regional maritime security. Maqsoudlou did not specify the duration of the exercises.
The announcement arrived just one day after the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington, adding a layer of strategic signaling to the already tense diplomatic landscape.
IRGC Exercises and Strait of Hormuz Closure
Concurrent with preparations for the Russia-Iran drills, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been conducting its own separate military exercises in and around the Strait of Hormuz since Monday. In a significant escalation, Iranian state television reported that the strait — one of the world's most critical chokepoints for global oil and gas shipments — was temporarily closed for several hours on Tuesday, citing "security reasons" linked to the ongoing exercises.
Iranian officials have on multiple occasions threatened to shut down the vital waterway, particularly during periods of heightened confrontation with Washington.
The exercises unfold against the backdrop of a substantial US naval deployment in Gulf waters. Washington has positioned a large military force in the region as part of a broader warning that it could resort to military intervention should ongoing diplomatic negotiations fail to yield a satisfactory agreement.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States resumed in early February under the mediation of Oman. The talks marked the first direct diplomatic engagement since the war launched by Israel against Iran in June, during which the United States participated in strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Tehran responded by launching retaliatory strikes against Israel and US military bases across the region.
The scope of the negotiations remains a key point of contention. Iran insists that the talks are strictly limited to its nuclear program, while Washington is pushing to broaden the agenda to encompass Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and its support for armed groups in the Middle East, most notably the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
As military maneuvers intensify on multiple fronts and diplomatic channels remain fragile, the coming days are expected to prove critical in determining whether dialogue or confrontation will define the next chapter of US-Iran relations.