Iran begins military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on the eve of talks with the United States

Iran began military exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Monday, on the eve of new discussions with the United States which is maintaining its pressure on Tehran.

While Washington has deployed an imposing naval force in the Gulf, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic, have begun maneuvers “in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of ​​Oman”, under the supervision of their leader Mohammad Pakpour, Iranian state television reported.

The exercise, the duration of which was not specified, aims to prepare the Guards “for potential security and military threats” in the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of global oil production passes.

This announcement comes before new talks planned for Tuesday in Geneva, Switzerland, mediated by the Sultanate of Oman.

Threats from Trump

Iran and the United States renewed dialogue on February 6 in Muscat, the capital of Oman, to try to avoid American military intervention.

Donald Trump has increased his warnings after the bloody repression of massive demonstrations in January in Iran, while leaving the door open to a diplomatic settlement, particularly on the Iranian nuclear program.

“What is not on the table: submission in the face of threats”, insisted the head of Iranian diplomacy Abbas Araghchi on Monday on X, saying he was in Geneva “with real ideas to reach a fair and equitable agreement”.

There he met the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, for “in-depth technical discussions”, according to a message published by the latter on X.

Witkoff and Kushner « en route »

The UN agency’s inspectors have still not been able to visit the nuclear sites targeted by Israeli-American strikes in June 2025, which had stopped previous talks between Tehran and Washington.

On the American side, emissary Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, “are on their way”, indicated the head of American diplomacy Marco Rubio, on the sidelines of a visit to Hungary on Monday. “We’ll see what happens.” We hope there will be an agreement,” he added.

Western countries and Israel, considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, suspect Iran of wanting to acquire nuclear weapons. Tehran denies having such ambitions, but insists on its right to develop a civilian nuclear sector.

In the absence of an agreement, the American president threatened Iran with “traumatic” consequences and even openly raised the possibility of a overthrow of power on Friday.

What topics for discussion?

Residents of the Iranian capital chanted anti-government slogans from their windows and rooftops on Sunday, a day after large rallies against the Islamic Republic by Iranians living abroad.

Washington has deployed significant military assets in the area. After the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was sent to the Gulf region in January, a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald Ford, is due to join them, on a date which remains uncertain.

The United States and Iran differ on the content of their new discussions. Iran only wants to talk about its nuclear program. Washington, like Israel, also demands that it limit its ballistic missile program and stop supporting regional armed groups.

On the nuclear side, Iran said it was ready to compromise concerning its stock of highly enriched uranium if Washington lifted the sanctions which are penalizing the Iranian economy, according to its Deputy Foreign Minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, interviewed on Sunday by the BBC. Before the 12-day war of June 2025, Iran enriched uranium to 60%, a rate close to the 90% needed to make the atomic bomb.