IRGC Navy Holds 'Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz' Military Drills

Monday, 16 February 2026 6:13 PM

 The Naval forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps carry out military drills, named "Smart Control of the Hormuz Strait," off the country’s southern coast on February 16, 2026.

The naval forces of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) have started military drills off the country’s southern coast, practicing smart control of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

The combined live-fire intensive drills, named "Smart Control of the Hormuz Strait," began on Monday and are directly supervised by the IRGC Chief Commander Major General Mohammad Pakpour.

The drills aim to test the readiness of the IRGC Navy’s operational units and review support programs and scenarios in the face of "possible security and military threats" in the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Smart utilization of Iran’s geopolitical advantages in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is another main objective of the military exercise.

A rapid, decisive, and comprehensive response by the IRGC's operational forces in the face of anti-security plots in the maritime arena is at the core of the operational exercises of the units participating in the drill.

Iran is conducting naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz as the administration of US President Donald Trump has deployed military forces to the region, including F-35 fighter jets, large fuel tankers, and additional naval assets, heightening concerns about possible new military action.

At least 163 C-17 and C-5 cargo flights have traveled from bases in the United States and Japan to the Middle East via Europe, accodring to Drop Site News. 

US officials said on February 12 that the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the region, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft and guided-missile destroyers.

Speaking at the White House on Friday, Trump confirmed that a second aircraft carrier -- the USS Gerald R Ford -- would be leaving the Caribbean for the Middle East “very soon.”

Iran’s top military official warns US President Trump that any aggression against the country will teach trump a harsh lesson.

On Sunday, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi warned the US president against any confrontation with the Islamic Republic, saying such action would serve as a harsh lesson for Washington.

“Trump should know that he would be entering a confrontation that gives harsh lessons, the outcome of which would ensure that he no longer makes threats around the world,” Mousavi said.

The deployments come as Iran and the United States are scheduled to hold a second phase of indirect nuclear talks in the Swiss city of Geneva on Tuesday. Oman is expected to continue its intermediary role.