Iran closes Strait of Hormuz for military exercises

Iran announced on Tuesday the temporary closure of the Strait of Hormuz for military exercises, as its negotiators held another round of indirect talks with the United States over the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program.

It is the first time that Iran has announced the closure of this important international waterway, through which 20% of the world's oil passes, since the US began threatening Iran and sending military assets to the region.

Such a rare and perhaps unprecedented action could further escalate tensions that risk igniting another war in the Middle East, writes AP.

As the talks were underway, Iranian state media reported that Iranian forces had fired missiles into the strait and would close it for several hours for "security reasons and maritime concerns."

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has meanwhile warned that "the strongest army in the world could sometimes receive such a blow that it cannot stand up again."

But Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi later struck a softer tone, expressing optimism about the talks and saying that "a new window has opened" for reaching an agreement.

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"We hope that the negotiations will lead to a sustainable and negotiated solution that can serve the interests of the relevant parties and the wider region," Araghchi told a UN disarmament conference after leading the Iranian delegation to the talks in Geneva.

He added that Iran "remains fully prepared to defend itself against any threat or act of aggression" and that the consequences of any attack on Iran would not be limited within its borders.

US President Donald Trump, who scrapped a previous nuclear deal with Iran during his first term, has repeatedly threatened to use force to force Iran to accept limits on its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with attack.