• Iran issues NOTAM for closure of airspace over Hormuz Strait. 
• Iran to launch drills for three days within five-nautical-mile radius.
• NOTAM says space from ground level to 25,000 feet to be restricted.

TEHRAN: Iran has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing live-fire military activity in airspace near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US military assets arrived in the Middle East, reflecting heightened tensions in the region.

The aviation warning, published on Tuesday, said Iranian forces will carry out live-fire exercises from 27 to 29 January within a five-nautical-mile radius around the strait. 

The notice said that the airspace in the designated area — from ground level up to 25,000 feet — will be restricted and considered hazardous for the duration of the activity.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint for global trade, with millions of barrels of crude oil passing through it each day. Any disruption there often sends ripples through international energy markets and heightens geopolitical concern.

The NOTAM comes amid an increase in American military activity in the region as US Air Forces Central (AFCENT) has announced a multi-day readiness exercise across its area of responsibility, aimed at demonstrating rapid deployment and sustainment capabilities.

Officials in Washington have said all options remain on the table in dealing with Tehran, including the possibility of military action, as the United States and Israel seek to counter Iran’s influence. 

Iranian authorities have responded with warnings that any attack would prompt a “swift and comprehensive” response.

The air navigation warning will affect civil and military flights through the area during the period of the exercises. Aviation authorities typically issue NOTAMs in advance of live-fire drills to alert pilots and airlines to potential risks and temporary airspace closures.

US warships arrive in ME

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and several guided-missile destroyers have crossed into the Middle East region, which comes under the US military’s Central Command, the officials told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “armada” heading toward Iran, but hoped he would not have to use it.

The warships began deploying from the Asia-Pacific region earlier this month, as tensions between Iran and the United States escalated following a crackdown on protests across Iran.

Trump had repeatedly threatened to intervene if Iran continued to kill protesters, but the countrywide demonstrations have since abated. The president said he had been told that killings were subsiding and that he believes there is currently no plan for the executions of prisoners.

The US military has in the past surged forces into the Middle East at times of heightened tensions, moves that were often defensive.

However, the US military staged a major buildup last year ahead of its June strikes against Iran’s nuclear programme.

In addition to the carrier and warships, the Pentagon is also moving fighter jets and air-defence systems to the Middle East.

Meantime, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that “Trump will decide what he decides; the State of Israel will decide what it decides”.

But, he added, if Iran attacked Israel, “we will respond with a force that Iran has never seen”.

Iran warns US against attack

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian hit out at US “threats” in a call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying they were “aimed at disrupting the security of the region and will achieve nothing other than instability”.

The US also maintains several bases in the Middle East, prompting a Revolutionary Guards commander to issue a warning to Iran’s neighbours on Tuesday.

“Neighbouring countries are our friends, but if their soil, sky, or waters are used against Iran, they will be considered hostile,” Mohammad Akbarzadeh, political deputy of the IRGC naval forces, was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

A senior Iranian official said last week that Tehran would consider any attack as an “all-out war against us.”

“This military build-up – we hope it is not intended for real confrontation – but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This time we will treat any attack – limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it – as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates assured Iran that they will not let their airspace, territory or territorial waters be used for any hostile military actions against the Islamic republic.

The US military’s Al Dhafra Air Base is located south of the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and has been a critical US Air Force hub in support of key missions against the Islamic State, as well as reconnaissance deployments across the region.