Iran conducts naval drills as US increases military assets 

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is conducting a ‘Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz’ exercise, a maritime activity in the channel located in the Gulf between Oman and Iran.

IRGC Commander‑in‑Chief Maj Gen Mohammad Pakpour, on Monday, supervised the participating vessels before missiles were launched from a ship, the IRNA reported.

The drill was ordered to examine the readiness of the operational units of the IRGC Navy and assess its security plans and counter-action in the face of possible security and military threats.

The exercise is being held as the United States continues the build-up of warships and fighter jets near Iran, after the January 3 operation in Venezuela, where Nicolas Maduro was captured.

On February 6, the U.S. Central Command posted a photo of Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, accompanied by two military supply ships and two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, sailing in the Arabian Sea

The Lincoln strike group, which comprises three guided missile destroyers, 90 aircraft, including F-35 fighters, and more than 5,000 crew, was deployed to the Gulf region in late January.

The Pentagon has redeployed the Gerald Ford Carrier Strike Group from the Caribbean to the Middle East to bolster deterrence against Iran. The world’s largest warship is expected to arrive in two weeks.

Ahead of American and Iranian officials’ meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, President Donald Trump on Monday repeated the call for Iran to make a deal or face the repercussions.

“We could have had a deal instead of sending in the B-2s to knock out their nuclear potential,” the President said of the June 2025 airstrikes against the nuclear sites in Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.

Trump would be involved in the latest talks “indirectly” and has urged the Islamic Republic to be more reasonable. “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal,” he warned.

“We’re hopeful there’s a deal (with Iran),” Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Monday in Budapest at a press conference alongside the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orban.

The Secretary noted that President Trump always prefers peaceful and negotiated outcomes to matters, evident in his “willingness to talk to anyone and meet with anyone.”

Rubio reiterated Washington’s openness to a diplomatic agreement that addresses the pertinent issues on Iran, but acknowledged the hassle tied to negotiations with Tehran.

“It’s been very difficult to do real deals with Iran,” he said. “We’re dealing with radical Shia clerics who are making theological decisions, not geopolitical ones. Let’s see what happens.”

Iran conducts naval drills as US increases military assets