Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) started military exercises in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, February 16, according to state media. This announcement came just before talks with the United States. The specific length of these drills has not been revealed. The exercises are intended to prepare the Guards for possible security and military threats in the strait, especially after the U.S. sent a large naval force to the region. Iranian hardline politicians have often warned about blocking the strait, which is crucial because about 20 percent of the world's oil production passes through it. The drills, led by General Mohammad Pakpour, aim to enhance the IRGC’s quick response capabilities, as reported by Iranian media. The IRGC serves as the ideological branch of Iran's military. These exercises occur as Tehran and Washington get ready for new talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with Oman facilitating the discussions. The two nations, who have been adversaries for 40 years, restarted conversations on February 6 in Oman, their first since diplomacy collapsed last June during the Iran-Israel conflict, which involved strikes on Iranian nuclear sites by Israel and the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump has been urging Iran to reach an agreement and has sent a considerable naval force to the area, which he referred to as an "armada." After deploying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and accompanying battleships to the Gulf in January, Trump announced on Friday that a second aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford, would soon head to the Middle East.