<h1>Sanctions pressure escalates as Iran conducts extended military drills around nuclear sites, amplifying diplomatic and maritime risks.</h1> Iran initiated prolonged military exercises including air-defence drills around the Natanz enrichment facility and planned naval operations in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, claiming capabilities to intercept bunker-busting munitions though without deploying certain S-300 systems reportedly damaged earlier. These drills function as defensive signalling amid economic collapse and heightened diplomatic pressure over what Western states describe as a nuclear escalation, increasing the likelihood of sanctions snapback and compounding domestic instability.