Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) kicked off a naval exercise on Monday in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, state media reported, Reuters reported.

Dubbed “Smart Control of Hormuz Strait,” the drills are being carried out by IRGC naval forces under the supervision of the organization’s top commander, according to Iranian state television.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said the exercises are intended to assess the readiness of operational forces to respond to potential security and military threats.

The timing of the maneuvers comes amid heightened tensions with the United States, fueled by disputes over Iran’s nuclear program and the government’s lethal crackdown on anti-regime protests last month.

Diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program have resumed after previous negotiations broke down in June 2025, when Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian targets that triggered a 12-day conflict, during which U.S. forces also struck three Iranian nuclear facilities. A new round of discussions, to be mediated by Oman, is scheduled in Geneva on Tuesday.

The drills follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that a second aircraft carrier would be deployed to the Middle East, signaling continued threats of military action against Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, lying between Oman and Iran. Iranian hardliners have previously threatened to block the strait amid rising tensions with Washington.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the strait is “the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint,” with large volumes of crude oil from OPEC countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq passing through it on the way to global markets.