This image provided Thursday Feb. 19, 2026 by the Iranian military and dated Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2025, shows navy ships conducting operations during a join drill by Iranian and Russian forces in the Indian Ocean.(Masoud Nazari Mehrabi/Iranian Army via AP)

Dubai: Iran held annual military drills with Russia on Thursday as a second American aircraft carrier drew closer to West Asia, with both the US and Iran signalling they are prepared for war if talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme fizzle out. Indirect talks held in recent weeks made little visible progress, and one or both sides could be buying time for final war preparations.Iranian forces and Russian sailors conducted the annual drills in the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean aimed at “upgrading operational coordination as well as exchange of military experiences,” Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported. Iran also issued a rocket-fire warning to pilots in the region, suggesting launch of anti-ship missiles.Separately, Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said Thursday “no country can deprive Iran of the right” to nuclear enrichment.