Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) will carry out live ammunition exercises next week in the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway through which 20% of the world’s oil and natural gas passes, Press TV, linked to the Islamic regime, reported this Thursday (29).
The announcement of this military exercise in the strait, located south of Iran and which connects the Gulf of Oman to the Persian Gulf, comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Tehran, after US President Donald Trump sent a naval fleet to the Middle East and threatened to intervene militarily in Iran if the country does not agree to negotiate.
The Republican leader ordered the deployment of the fleet after protests that have rocked Iran since the end of December and were violently repressed by the ayatollahs’ regime. Tehran, in turn, accuses the US and Israel of instigating the demonstrations, which have already resulted in more than 3,100 deaths.
Russia calls for de-escalation in Middle East, citing “serious consequences”
This Thursday, Russia warned that the use of force against Iran will only bring chaos and destabilization to the entire region, without directly mentioning threats from the US.
“Any use of force could only generate chaos in the region and have very dangerous consequences in terms of destabilizing security systems,” Russian Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily press briefing.
A political adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei declared on Wednesday that Tehran will attack Tel Aviv, targets of the US and countries supported by Washington if the country carries out a military intervention against Iranian territory.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has entered the European Union’s crosshairs: the foreign ministers of the 27 member states have reached an informal political agreement to include it on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations due to its repression in the country.
After this informal agreement in Brussels, reported by the bloc’s head of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, the EU must formally approve its inclusion, a decision that requires unanimity among its members.
