TEHRAN: Iran and Russia will conduct naval maneuvers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, following the latest round of talks between Tehran and Washington in Geneva, Iranian media reported.
On Monday, the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, also launched exercises in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a challenge to US naval forces deployed in the region.
“The joint naval exercise of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia will take place tomorrow (Thursday) in the Sea of Oman and in the northern Indian Ocean,” the ISNA agency reported, citing drill spokesman, Rear Admiral Hassan Maghsoudloo.
“The aim is to strengthen maritime security and to deepen relations between the navies of the two countries,” he said, without specifying the duration of the drill.
The war games come as Iran struck an upbeat tone following the second round of Oman-mediated negotiations in Geneva on Tuesday.
Previous talks between the two foes collapsed following the unprecedented Israeli strike on Iran in June 2025, which sparked a 12-day war that the United States briefly joined.
US President Donald Trump has deployed a significant naval force in the region, which he has described as an “armada.”
Iranian officials have repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, particularly during periods of tension with the United States, but it has never been closed.
A key passageway for global shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas, the Strait of Hormuz has been the scene of several incidents in the past and has returned to the spotlight as pressure has ratcheted amid the US-Iran talks.
Iran announced on Tuesday that it would partially close it for a few hours for “security” reasons during its own drills in the strait.
Iran, Russia to conduct joint drills in the Sea of Oman
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Iran, Russia to conduct joint drills in the Sea of Oman
- The drills are set to occur a few days after the Revolutionary Guards conducted military drills in the Strait of Hormuz
Syrian authorities find Assad-era mass grave near Damascus
- Authorities are identifying the victims and investigating a suspected mass grave linked to the former Assad regime
- Nearly 177,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Syria since March 2011
LONDON: The Syrian Civil Defense reported that the remains of 14 individuals were found in the Adra industrial area, northeast of Damascus, during excavation for mill foundations in the area.
Search teams coordinated recovery operations at the site with the National Commission for the Missing, the public prosecutor, and security authorities, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
The National Mine Action Center surveyed the area to ensure that it was clear of land mines and found the bones of four individuals scattered by prior digging. They later recovered the remains of 10 more individuals.
The remains were documented and collected in accordance with forensic procedures. Authorities are identifying the victims and investigating a suspected mass grave linked to the former Assad regime.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, nearly 177,000 people have been forcibly disappeared in Syria since March 2011.
