ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US Central Command (CENTCOM) on Friday urged Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to exercise restraint during scheduled naval drills in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, coming as tensions between Washington and Tehran persist amid the prospect of a potential return to nuclear negotiations.

The IRGC have announced that its forces will be conducting a two-day naval exercise in the strait, which has often served as a flashpoint for incidents between US and Iranian forces.

CENTCOM urged the IRGC "to conduct the announced naval exercise in a manner that is safe, professional and avoids unnecessary risk to freedom of navigation for international maritime traffic," citing the strait's role as an "essential trade corridor."

"We will not tolerate unsafe IRGC actions including overflight of US military vessels engaged in flight operations, low-altitude or armed overflight of US military assets when intentions are unclear, highspeed boat approaches on a collision course with US military vessels, or weapons trained at US forces," the statement continued.

"Any unsafe and unprofessional behavior near US forces, regional partners or commercial vessels increases risks of collision, escalation, and destabilization," CENTCOM asserted.

Mohammad Akbarzadeh, an IRGC commander, said Wednesday that Iran "controls decisions on whether vessels flying different flags are allowed to pass through the strait," highlighting new military capabilities that have "moved beyond traditional methods."

The exercise comes after US President Donald Trump on Friday reiterated that a "large armada" is en route to Iran as Washington ramps up pressure to reach a nuclear deal with Tehran.

Extensive nuclear negotiations undertaken between both sides were abruptly truncated last year when Israel launched a large-scale attack on Iran in June in what became dubbed the 12-Day War, with US forces joining at the tail end of the conflict to strike Iranian nuclear proliferation facilities.

 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday said that Tehran is ready to restart talks with Washington but stressed that its ballistic missile program "remains a red line."

"We are ready to enter negotiations if these negotiations are from an equal footing, based on mutual interests and mutual respect," Aragchi said during a presser in Turkey’s Istanbul. Ankara has offered to mediate talks between Washington and Tehran.

"In our conversations, I reiterated that Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and is ready to embrace a fair and equitable nuclear deal that meets the legitimate interests of our people; this includes ensuring 'No Nuclear Weapons' and guaranteeing the lifting of sanctions," the Iranian top diplomat wrote on X on Saturday.

While Iran remains under heavy international sanctions and pressure over its nuclear program, it has repeatedly said that its ballistic missile program is "not subject to negotiation," insisting on its right to defend the country, as well as its right to pursue the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

"I want to state firmly that Iran's defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiation," Araghchi said, adding that there are currently no meetings planned with US officials.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Thursday that there would be “no negotiations” with the US without guarantees over the rights of Iranians and the country’s economy.