https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/iran-temporarily-closes-strait-hormuz
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (right) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi (left) hold a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, February 16, 2026. Photo: Iranian Foreign Ministry via APIRAN announced the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz today for live fire military drills as its negotiators held another round of indirect talks with the United States in Geneva over its nuclear programme.
It was the first time that Tehran has announced the closure of the key international waterway, through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil passes, since the US began threatening Iran and rushing military assets to the region.
Iran said its Revolutionary Guard had started a drill early on Monday in the Strait of Hormuz, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman — all crucial international shipping routes.
It was the second time in recent weeks that Iran has held a live fire exercise in the Strait of Hormuz.
As the talks began, Iranian state media announced that the country’s military had fired missiles toward the strait and would close it for several hours for “safety and maritime concerns.”
The Tasnim news agency, which is close to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, said missiles launched inside Iran and along its coast had struck their targets in the strait.
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