File photo of Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
| Photo Credit: AP
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Geneva for a second round of nuclear talks with the U.S. and technical discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf, as Washington has sent a second aircraft carrier to the region, threatening to use force against the Islamic Republic if diplomacy fails.
While the U.S. and Iran are expected to hold talks, mediated by Oman, in the Swiss city on Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the naval forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have started military drills near the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint that connects the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea through the Gulf of Oman.
“I am in Geneva with real ideas to achieve a fair and equitable deal. What is not on the table: submission before threats,” Mr. Araghchi wrote in a social media post. IAEA chief Rafael Grossi later said he had “in-depth technical discussions” with Mr. Aragchi ahead of Tuesday’s “important negotiations”.
Iran suspended access for the IAEA to its key nuclear facilities after Israel and the U.S. bombed them in June 2025.
Mr. Araghchi had met Steve Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s West Asia envoy, and other officials for nuclear talks on February 6 in Muscat, Oman’s capital, and agreed to continue discussions. Last week, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said in an interview that Iran was willing to make compromise for a nuclear deal if the U.S. is “sincere”.
Meanwhile, the IRGC on Monday started “live-fire intensive drills” named ‘Smart Control of Hormuz Strait’ under the supervision of chief commander Major General Mohammed Pakpour. The drills aim to test the readiness of the IRGC Navy’s operational units and review support programmes and scenarios in the face of “possible security and military threats” in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, reported state-run Press TV. “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,” it said.
This is the second military exercise the IRGC Navy is conducting since tensions started rising between Iran and the U.S. last month. Early this month, the U.S. shot down an Iranian drone that the U.S. Navy said was approaching USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier, in the Arabia Sea. The U.S. has deployed F35 fighter jets, warships, destroyers and fuel tankers, besides the Lincoln, to the region. Mr. Trump has also said a second aircraft carrier would reach West Asia’s waters “soon”.
On Sunday, Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi said any U.S. military actions would be met with retaliatory attacks. “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,” Gen. Mousavi said.
Published – February 16, 2026 10:05 pm IST
