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Iran Plans Live Fire Drills Near US Warships. Why Focus Is On Strait Of Hormuz

The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, again has become a focus of tensions as Iran prepares to launch a military drill that could see fire into a lane crucial for global shipping.

Iran has warned ships that it will conduct a live-fire drill Sunday and Monday in the strait, which sees a fifth of all oil traded pass through the tight corridor between the Islamic Republic and Oman.

The U.S. military's Central Command issued its own warning early Saturday, telling Tehran that any "unsafe and unprofessional behavior near U.S. forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation and destabilization."

Here's what to know about the drill, the U.S. warning, what caused the tensions and what might happen next in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz resembles a bend looking down from space. Its narrowest point is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. It flows from the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman. From there, ships can then travel to the rest of the world. While Iran and Oman have its territorial waters in the strait, its viewed as an international waterway all ships can ply. The United Arab Emirates, home to the skyscraper-studded city of Dubai, also sits near the waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz through history has been important for trade, with ceramics, ivory, silk and textiles moving from China through the region. In the modern era of supertankers, the narrow strait proved deep and wide enough to allow for oil to pass through it. While there are pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the UAE that can avoid the passage, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says "most volumes that transit the strait have no alternative means of exiting the region." The vast majority of the oil and gas moving through the strait goes to markets in Asia. Threats to the route have spiked global energy prices in the past, including during the 12-day war Israel launched against Iran in June.

A notice to mariners sent Thursday by radio warned that Iran planned to conduct "naval shooting" in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and Monday. The coordinates provided by the message put the drill potentially going into what is known as the Traffic Separation Scheme - a 3.2-kilometer- (2-mile-) wide, two-lane system in which ships coming into the Persian Gulf go north and ships exiting onto the Gulf of Oman go south. That northern lane is within the coordinates of the drill. While Iran has provided no other public details about the drills, it will likely involve the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The Guard operates a fleet of small fast-attack vessels in the strait that routinely has tense encounters with the U.S. Navy.

Early Saturday, the U.S. military's Central Command issued a strongly worded warning to Iran and the Revolutionary Guard over the drill. While acknowledging Iran's "right to operate professionally in international airspace and waters," it warned against interfering or threatening American warships or passing commercial vessels. The command, which oversees the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said it "will not tolerate unsafe (Guard) actions" that could include its aircraft or vessels getting too close to American warships or pointing weapons toward them. The command added that "the U.S. military has the most highly trained and lethal force in the world."

U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to launch a military strike against Iran after its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. He has laid down two red lines - the killing of peaceful protesters and Iran launching a wave of mass executions of those held. In recent days, he's also included the fate of Iran's nuclear program. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and supporting guided missile destroyers are now in the Arabian Sea where they could launch an attack if Trump calls for it. Iran has warned it could launch its own preemptive strike or target American interests across the Middle East and Israel. While the 12-day war saw Iran fire off ballistic missiles and Israel target its stockpile, Tehran maintains an arsenal of short- and medium-range missiles that could hit surrounding Gulf Arab states.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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How Arijit Singh's Hometown In Bengal Reacted To His Retirement

When Arijit Singh announced that he was stepping away from playback singing, the news rippled across the music industry and stunned millions of fans. But in Jiaganj, the small town in West Bengal where the singer grew up, the reaction was deeply personal. 

For the people here, Arijit is still their 'dada'.

In Jiaganj, Arijit's fame has never altered the way he lives. Residents are used to seeing him riding a scooter through narrow lanes, buying vegetables from the local market, dropping his children at school, and spending hours practising in his studio. 

Though he now lives in a newly built three-storey house close to his father's old home, the neighbourhood he grew up in continues to define him.

Here's What Locals Have To Say About Arijit Singh

Tandra Ghosh, a neighbour, shared how Arijit blends into the community. "His house is next to ours now. My daughter studies in the same school as his child. What I like most is that despite being so famous, he meets everyone in such a normal way, just like one of us. In fact, my home address has now become 'near Arijit Singh's house' as a landmark," he told NDTV.

For families who have known Arijit since childhood, his retirement announcement felt unreal. Paromita Dutta, who shares a decades-old bond with the singer's family, said that his global identity never replaced the boy they grew up with.

"For us, he is still 'Shomu'. Arijit Singh is for the world," she said, adding, "He has sung so many songs that there is a song for every relationship, and a relationship with every song. Someone's first love has an Arijit song, someone's crush has an Arijit song."

The emotional connection Jiaganj feels towards his music runs far deeper than charts and awards.

Young Listeners Struggle To Accept The Reality

Among students and younger residents, the news has been met with disbelief and sadness. Many grew up listening to Arijit's voice without ever imagining a time when there would be no new playback songs from him.

Local student Arnab Saha said, "We felt very sad when we heard that Arijit will not sing anymore. I realised that I have been listening to him for so many years, and now I won't get to hear his new songs as a playback singer."

What residents admire most about Arijit is not just his talent, but his simplicity. 

Holding back tears, Shiny Majumdar told NDTV, "Arijit moves among us so simply that I often tell my children - look and learn from him. He is such a big man, such a great singer, yet he lives so normally among us. This is a matter of great pride and a big lesson for us."

She added, "People usually focus only on studies, but by looking at him we understand that one can move ahead in life by singing as well, even from a small town. That itself is a very big thing for us."

While the retirement announcement has shocked Jiaganj, there is also a belief that this might not be the end of his singing journey.

Paromita Dutta summed up the town's sentiment when she said, "We don't know what is going on in Arijit's mind right now, but something must be. Otherwise, he wouldn't take such a big decision so suddenly. He will surely do something very big and very good."

When Arijit Announced His Retirement From Playback Singing

Arijit Singh officially announced his decision on January 27 through a heartfelt note on Instagram. Thanking listeners for years of love and support, the singer wrote that he would not be taking up any new assignments as a playback vocalist and was calling it quits after what he described as a "wonderful journey".

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Arijit Singh (@arijitsingh)

Soon after, screenshots believed to be from his private X account began circulating online, offering a more personal glimpse into his state of mind. 

"There is not one reason behind this, there are several reasons plus I have been trying to do this since a long time. Finally I have gathered the right courage. One of the reasons were simple, I get bored pretty quick, thats why I keep changing arrangements of the same songs and perform them on stage. So here is the thing, I got bored," he wrote.

No No No Arijit ....you cannot do this .... Bro just say it's prank 🥲... #arijitsingh #whoami pic.twitter.com/JrYB7XujHh

— VIRENDRA SHAH (@Virendr36129334) January 27, 2026

Arijit first came into the public eye as a contestant on the 2005 reality show Fame Gurukul, where he was eliminated before the finale. Years later, he made his playback debut with the Telugu film Kedi in 2010, before finding wider recognition in Hindi cinema with Murder 2. 

Over the years, Arijit has sung hundreds of songs across languages, earned two National Film Awards, and was conferred the Padma Shri in 2025.

ALSO READ: When Arijit Singh Said He 'Tortured' Himself: "People Hated My Voice When I Started"

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