Iran has temporarily closed the Strait of Hormuz for live-fire military drills on Tuesday, officials said, amid rising tensions with the United States and ongoing nuclear talks in Geneva.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) began the exercises early Monday morning in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman. These waterways are crucial international shipping routes. Tehran said the closure would last several hours.
This is the second live-fire drill in the Strait in recent weeks. It is the first time Iran has closed the corridor since the US threatened military action over the country’s recent crackdown on protests and its nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he was considering military intervention in response to the nationwide protests that began in December 2025, and to pressure Iran to curb its nuclear programme. Washington claims Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, while Tehran insists its programme is for civilian purposes only.
Last week, the US deployed its newest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, to the Middle East to join another carrier already in the region. Iran responded with warnings that it would counter any US attack. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, according to Iranian state TV: “Of course a warship is a dangerous apparatus, but more dangerous than the warship is the weapon that can sink the warship into the depths of the sea.”
Meanwhile, Washington and Tehran concluded a second round of indirect talks on Iran’s nuclear programme in Geneva on Tuesday. Iranian state TV reported the discussions focused solely on the nuclear issue and not on domestic politics or the crackdown on protesters.
The protests began on 28 December 2025, after a collapse of the national currency and persistent hyperinflation. They quickly turned into nationwide anti-regime demonstrations. Human rights organisations and sources inside Iran estimate that between 6,000 and 30,000 people may have been killed. Tens of thousands more have been detained.
In mid-January, President Trump encouraged Iranians to continue protesting, saying “help is on the way.” He has so far refrained from military intervention, following the restart of talks and what Washington described as Tehran’s pledge to halt the crackdown, including executions of detainees.
The first round of indirect US-Iran talks was held earlier this month in Oman.