Iran announces live-fire naval drills near US warships amid tensions

Al Jazeera update

IRAN has announced a two-day live-fire naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, which is set to begin on Sunday, after the US deployed the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and other US military assets to the Middle East.

The US military’s Central Command has issued a warning to Iran’s army, saying it will not tolerate “unsafe” manoeuvres such as flights over US warships, including the approach of Iranian speedboats on a collision course with US ships.

Tensions have been rising for weeks between Tehran and Washington amid US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to attack Iran over a recent crackdown on anti-government protests and his push to curtail the Iranian nuclear programme.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said his country was ready for “fair and just” negotiations, but rejected Trump’s central demands.

Defence strategies and missile systems would never be the subject of negotiations, said Araghchi.