The United States warned Iran on Saturday over its plans to conduct live-fire drills close to U.S. forces in the region, as partners sought to de-escalaterising tensions between the two nations.
Iran announced Friday that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was conducting a two-day live-fire naval exercise in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping lane that handles about 20% of global oil supply.
The drills comeas U.S. Navy ships arrive in the region, with President Donald Trump deploying what he called a "massive armada," which he said earlier this week could act against Iran "with speed and violence, if necessary."
"We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) actions including overflight of U.S. military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of U.S. military assets when intentions are unclear, highspeed boat approaches on a collision course with U.S. military vessels, or weapons trained at U.S. forces," U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Friday.
"U.S. forces acknowledge Iran's right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it added, before noting that "any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization."
Tensions have continued to rise between the two nations after the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown on nationwide protests against the government left thousands dead. Trumprecently called for regime changein the country, while also pressing Iran to make a "deal" to address concerns over its nuclear capabilities.
The New York Times, citing multiple U.S officials, reported Friday that Trump had been presented with a list of military options against Iran that included proposals for American forces to carry out raids on sites inside Iran. NBC News could not verify these details.
A U.S. Navy destroyer made a port visit to the southern Israeli city of Eilat on Friday. The USS Delbert D. Black is one of six U.S. destroyers now in the Middle East, along with an aircraft carrier and three other combat ships.
The arrival of the destroyer in Israel was planned and part of ongoing cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli militaries, Israeli media reported.
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was prepared for the resumption of negotiations, but they should be"fair and equitable"and not include Iran's defense capabilities.
Egypt said Saturday that Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty had held calls with his Iranian, Turkish and Omani counterparts, along with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Qatar's prime minister, on continuing "serious efforts" to de-escalate tensions and seek diplomatic solutions.
Egypt's foreign ministry said "constructive interaction and communication" could help bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table to forge "a peaceful and consensual settlement."
Turkey has opposed military intervention against Iran, warning that such an action would lead to regional instability. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said in a statement Friday that he had offered to act as a "facilitator" between Iran and the U.S. in a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both ruled out the use of their airspace or territory to launch attacks on Iran.
Pezeshkian has blamed the West and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for stoking tensions within Iran, the country's Student News Network, a hard-line news website close to the regime, reported Saturday.
"Unfortunately Trump, Netanyahu and some Europeans tried to provoke the situation and create division," Pezeshkian said, according to the report.
"They equipped and encouraged some people, pulled innocent citizens into this process and pushed them into the streets to break the country apart and create conflict, hatred and division among people," he added.
The protests in Iranbegan in late December as inflation soared and the cost of living became unbearable for many. They quickly grew to include young and old, working classes and professionals, men and women, and expanded across the country.
At least 6,300 people have been killed, including some 200 security services personnel, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). The group, which says that it verifies each death with a network of activists on the ground in Iran and that its data goes through "multiple internal checks," said it is investigating 17,000 additional reported deaths.
Amid the heightened tensions, an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday sparked alarm.
The semiofficial Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were "completely false."
Iranian state media outlet IRIB News later reported that the explosion, which was reported to have killed one person and injured 14, was caused by a gas leak, citing Bandar Abbas Fire Department.