After US warning, Iran says no plans to carry out live-fire exercises in Strait of Hormuz

An Iranian official on Sunday denied that the country had any plans to carry out live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz this week, amid sky-high tensions in the region.

Speaking to Reuters, an Iranian official denied ever planning such exercises, although Iran’s state-run Press TV reported on Thursday that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ naval forces would hold the drill on Sunday and Monday.

“There was no plan for the Guards to hold military exercises there and there was no official announcement about it. Only media reports which were wrong,” the official said.

On Friday, the US military issued a statement warning Iran against carrying out such exercises and urging it to avoid “unnecessary risk.”

“US Central Command (CENTCOM) urges the IRGC to conduct the announced naval exercise in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic,” the statement read. “The Strait of Hormuz is an international sea passage and an essential trade corridor that supports regional economic prosperity.”

The statement added that “any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation and destabilization.”

The US military said that it “will not tolerate unsafe IRGC actions including overflight of US military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of US military assets when intentions are unclear, highspeed boat approaches on a collision course with US military vessels, or weapons trained at US forces.”

The US Navy currently has six destroyers, one aircraft carrier, and three littoral combat ships in the region, raising the risk of war after Iran’s deadly crackdown in January on nationwide protests against Iranian leadership.

US President Donald Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces, Reuters has reported, citing multiple sources.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was quoted in state media on Sunday as saying that although Trump says he has sent ships to the region, “the Iranian nation shall not be scared by these things, the Iranian people will not be stirred by these threats.

“We are not the initiators and do not want to attack any country, but the Iranian nation will strike a strong blow against anyone who attacks and harasses them,” he said.

On Saturday, Trump told reporters that Iran was “seriously talking” with Washington, hours after Tehran’s top security official Ali Larijani said on X that arrangements for negotiations were underway.

Trump also said: “I hope they negotiate something acceptable. You could make a negotiated deal that would be satisfactory with no nuclear weapons.”

Tehran has said it is ready for “fair” negotiations that do not seek to curtail its defensive capabilities.