Iran’s Fars News Agency announced on Tuesday the planned closure of parts of the Strait of Hormuz for several hours as a precautionary measure to ensure navigational safety, coinciding with military exercises conducted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the strait.
The IRGC also announced the start of the main phase of its naval maneuvers, as part of the “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz” exercise.
The naval commander, Ali Reza Tangsiri, said that his forces are capable of closing the strait in the shortest possible time, should the decision be made.
The Iranian Tasnim News Agency published photos of missile launches during the exercise, indicating the use of various defensive and offensive systems that “destroyed the designated targets with the highest degree of precision,” according to military experts who were present at the exercise.
This comes amidst the conclusion of the second round of negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi announced that positive progress had been made in the negotiations, noting that no date had been set for the next round and that the two sides were scheduled to evaluate potential texts.
“Serious discussions took place, and there was a constructive atmosphere. Important ideas were raised and discussed seriously. From now on, we will continue to follow the path that began on the basis of the agreed principles. It was also decided that the two sides would work on the texts of a possible agreement, and after exchanging these texts, the date of the next round of talks will be determined,” Araqchi said.
Iran’s leader warns that US could never destroy his nation
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meanwhile stressed that US President Donald Trump will never succeed in eliminating the Islamic Republic.
He asserted that the US president would be unable to destroy the Islamic Republic, stating during a speech in Tehran: “The US president said in one of his recent speeches that America has been unable to destroy the Islamic Republic for 47 years, and I say to Trump: You will not be able to do that either.”
He warned that Iran is fully capable of sinking the US aircraft carrier currently sailing in the Gulf, adding: “We constantly hear that the US has sent a warship toward Iran. A warship is undoubtedly a dangerous thing, but what is even more dangerous is the weapon capable of sinking it.”
A senior Iranian official told Reuters that America’s seriousness regarding lifting sanctions on Iran and abandoning its unrealistic demands are essential to ensuring the success of the nuclear negotiations in Geneva, adding that Tehran is going to the negotiating table with “serious and constructive proposals.”
