Iran holds military drill in Strait of Hormuz on eve of indirect nuclear talks with US

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) started a military drill in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, a day before a second round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States.

A statement by the IRGC's public relations division said the "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz" exercise aims to assess the operational readiness of its naval forces.

It said the training also aims to evaluate security plans and scenarios for reciprocal military action in response to potential security and military threats in the Strait of Hormuz region, and demonstrate Iran's geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

"The rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response of IRGC operational forces to anti-security plots in the maritime domain is at the core of the intelligence and operational exercises of the units participating in the drill," the statement said.

The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most strategically important choke points, lies between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to open waters.

The drill comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington, following the deployment of US aircraft carriers and bombers to the Persian Gulf region.

On Friday, US President Donald Trump said that a second US aircraft carrier would be deployed to the Middle East. The USS Abraham Lincoln and a fleet of destroyers are already stationed in the region amid simmering tensions between the two countries.

Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, warned on Sunday that any war against the country would serve as "a lesson" for US president.

Despite rising tensions, Tehran and Washington are set to hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday under Omani mediation.

Indirect nuclear diplomacy resumed in Muscat earlier this month, nearly eight months after talks were suspended following an Israeli attack on Iran that sparked a 12-day war.