Iran closes Strait of Hormuz for several hours for live fire drills amid talks with US in Geneva

As the United States and Iran hold their second round of talks about Tehran’s nuclear program on Tuesday in Geneva, Iran said it will temporarily close the Strait of Hormuz for live fire military exercises.

Iran had fired live missiles toward the Strait of Hormuz, and said it will close the Strait for several hours for “safety and maritime concerns,” Iranian media reported.

This marks the inaugural instance of Iran obstructing sections of the Strait — a vital international shipping lane — since the US initiated threats of military intervention against the nation.

On Monday, Iran launched a maritime military operation in waters that serve as indispensable global commerce routes, through which one-fifth of the world’s petroleum is transported.

Although Iran conducted a live-fire exercise in the Strait of Hormuz a few weeks prior, but it did not declare any closures at that time.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency, which maintains ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, reported that missiles fired from within Iranian territory and along its shoreline successfully hit designated targets within the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian state broadcasting later confirmed that the most recent session of discussions concluded after nearly three hours of deliberation.

Another sequence of mediated dialogue

Iranian state television indicated on Tuesday that the discussions with the US would remain indirect, focusing exclusively on Iran’s nuclear capabilities rather than internal issues, such as the violent suppression of demonstrators last month.

Trump Threats

US President Donald Trump has frequently cautioned that he might employ military power to force Iran into accepting limitations on its nuclear program. Iran has countered that it would retaliate with its own strikes. Trump has additionally warned Iran concerning its lethal response to recent countrywide protests.

The initial phase of negotiations on February 6 took place in Oman, a sultanate situated on the Arabian Peninsula’s eastern coast, and was also conducted indirectly. Mirroring the previous session, Iranian officials appeared to be consulting with Omani intermediaries apart from the American delegation on Tuesday.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, overseeing the Iranian side of the talks, conferred with the leader of the UN nuclear monitoring body on Monday in Geneva.

“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal,” Araghchi wrote on X. “What is not on the table: submission before threats.”

Speaking with journalists on Monday evening on Air Force One during his return to Washington, President Trump mentioned his intention to participate in the negotiations, at least through indirect channels.

“I think they want to make a deal. I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal," he said.