Syed Zafar Mehdi
17 February 2026•Update: 18 February 2026
TEHRAN, Iran
The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy said on Tuesday its forces can close the strategic Strait of Hormuz “upon orders from the country’s senior leadership.”
While overseeing an ongoing large-scale military drill in the waterway that links the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said that his forces are prepared to carry out any decision whenever the leadership decides, as per Iranian media.
He said that weapons used under wartime conditions “would be entirely different” from those displayed in the ongoing IRGC Navy exercise.
The drill, titled ‘Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz,’ started Monday, a day before the start of the second round of indirect nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US in Geneva, under Omani mediation.
A military statement said the exercise aims to assess the operational readiness of IRGC Navy units, test security plans and scenarios for reciprocal military action in response to potential security and military threats, and evaluate the IRGC’s geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The drill comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States 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, along with a fleet of destroyers, is already stationed in the region amid simmering tensions between the two countries.
According to Iranian media, various defensive and offensive systems and weapons were deployed during the drill, and designated targets were destroyed.
Maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was also suspended for several hours on Monday and Tuesday due to the exercise.
On Monday, Tangsiri claimed that the IRGC Navy maintains 24-hour intelligence surveillance in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical chokepoints through which a significant share of global oil shipments passes.
He said this intelligence ensures the “safe passage of vessels” through the strait, noting that more than 80 oil tankers and container ships transit the waterway daily, accounting for a substantial portion of global maritime trade.
The military drills coincide with the second round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US in Geneva under Omani mediation, nearly two weeks after the first round in Muscat.
Both sides held separate meetings with Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi at the Omani Embassy in Geneva before messages were exchanged between the two delegations.
While Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi headed the Iranian delegation, the US team was led by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s adviser Jared Kushner.
