Iran vows to conduct live-fire military drills in critical sea passage — after US announced its own

Iran vowed Thursday to conduct live-fire military drills in one of the world’s most vital sea passages — which sees 20% of the globe’s oil transports — next week, just two days after the US announced it would hold its own military exercises in the region.

The warning from the Islamic Republic was issued to all ships at sea in the Strait of Hormuz area, Jon Gambrell, the Gulf and Iran news director for The Associated Press, wrote on X.

The message claimed that Iran would be conducting “naval shootings” in the Strait on both Sunday and Monday, according to a copy received by the AP.

The order from Tehran comes just two days after the US announced its own plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as President Trump’s “massive armada” arrives in the region.

Air Forces Central, the air component of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said the exercises were meant to “demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse and sustain combat airpower across the US Central Command area of responsibility.”

The exercises would also show off America’s regional partnership and response time as tensions continue to escalate between Washington and Tehran over the Islamic Republic’s brutal crackdown on anti-regime protesters.

The dates and locations of the US military drills have not been made public, and it remains unclear whether they will coincide with exercises by Iran.

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group arrived in the region on Monday as Trump weighs his military options against Tehran.

Along with the aircraft carrier, which is equipped with several fighter jets and nearly 5,000 sailors, the US also deployed a squadron of F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets to the region, the same unit that participated in strikes on Iran in 2024, according to the Washington Post.

The guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black also arrived in the Middle East on Thursday, bringing the total to 10 warships believed to be in the region, according to ship-tracking sites.

Trump said Wednesday that even more military assets are enroute to the region as he demanded Iran agree to negotiate a “fair and equitable deal” regarding its nuclear program.

“Hopefully Iran will quickly ‘Come to the Table’ and negotiate a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS – one that is good for all parties,” he wrote on Truth Social.