Iran broadcast a warning to maritime traffic on Thursday, announcing plans for live-fire exercises in the Strait of Hormuz next week, AP reported. The drills could obstruct a shipping lane through which 20% of global oil passes.
The VHF radio notice sent by Tehran warned of “naval shooting” on Sunday and Monday. The message was initially detected by EOS Risk Group and later verified by AP.
Also on Thursday, Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani announced the launch of a project to build bomb shelters in underground parking facilities in the city, saying they would serve as emergency refuges in times of crisis. He added that the capital’s metro stations could also be used as shelters if necessary, and said the program would eventually be expanded to all neighborhoods of Tehran in the coming years.
“A serious trend has begun in the city to serve residents,” Zakani said.
In an interview, the mayor detailed plans that include constructing shelters, installing warning systems and protecting civilians in the event of war. He said the initiative was conceived after June’s “12-day war,” and was designed to allow underground parking lots to function normally during the year while being converted into shelters in times of danger.
“At this stage we have identified at least two sites for this purpose, and implementation is underway, but these two locations alone will not be sufficient,” Zakani said. “We are advancing this as a pilot project, and the projects will continue to develop and expand in the coming years.”
Asked when the parking-shelter projects would be completed, Zakani said both had just begun. He noted that, separately, there are existing structures that could be used temporarily as shelters, and that special arrangements had been made to enable the metro system, which has significant capacity, to serve that role as well.
“These measures are infrastructural,” he said. “Building such infrastructure takes time, but overall, a serious trend has begun in the city so that we can provide better and more effective service to residents.”
A thousand drones
Also on Thursday, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that various units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had received a shipment of 1,000 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Iranian Army commander Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami said the military was maintaining and strengthening its strategic advantages in light of anticipated threats.
“In accordance with the expected threats, the army is preserving its strategic advantages and even reinforcing them, in order to enable rapid combat and deliver a crushing response against any aggressor,” Hatami said.
On Wednesday night, an Iranian source told the Al-Mayadeen television network that in view of the U.S. military buildup, negotiations were not a top priority and the focus was on defense. According to the source, Iran intends to raise its defensive readiness to the highest levels in a confrontation with U.S. forces.
“If the Americans want negotiations without predetermining their outcome, Iran will accept that,” the source said.
The source added that Iran was taking seriously the possibility of war and would not be distracted by U.S. rhetoric. He said Iran would strike the base or location from which any aerial operations were launched, but would not target countries it does not consider hostile.
“The U.S. cannot force us into negotiations through a military buildup,” he said. “The U.S. knows our response will be appropriate and not merely proportional.”
Regional diplomatic efforts to avert a conflict between Washington and Tehran are stalling, The Wall Street Journal reported. Both nations have entrenched themselves in their positions as American military strength in the region grows. Oman-led talks between Tehran and Washington have tried to defuse the situation, but a CNN reported Thursday that the discussions have so far failed.
U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated his rhetoric on social media, threatening an attack if a deal is not reached, The Wall Street Journal noted. While the U.S. has stiffened its demands, Iran has not moved from its long-held negotiation limits.
Discussion on Wednesday between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff failed to progress, the Journal reported. Tehran objected to U.S. terms and threatened to strike regional targets if attacked.
Turkey is also urging Washington toward a diplomatic path to prevent regional destabilization. An official informed the Journal that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan proposed a three-way summit between the U.S., Turkey and Iran during a call with Trump on Wednesday.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also consulted with Araghchi on Wednesday regarding tension reduction. Araghchi is due in Turkey today.
“Iran is ready to renegotiate on the nuclear file,” Fidan told Al Jazeera. He said that the U.S. should settle issues individually, telling the Journal that a comprehensive demand might seem “humiliating” to Tehran.
