DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- 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.

Even with US forces poised to strike Iran, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CNN that he was “confident that we can achieve a deal” on Tehran’s nuclear program.

Tensions have continued to rise between the two nations after the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on nationwide protests left thousands dead.

Iran vowed Thursday to conduct live-fire military drills in one of the world’s most vital sea passages — which sees 20% of the globe’s oil transports — next week, just two

Iran's game plan is “a knife and a handshake,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Newsweek.

U.S. Central Command warned Iran it will not tolerate "any unsafe and unprofessional behavior" near American forces ahead of live-fire naval drills.

President Trump’s “massive armada” of warships and fighter planes near Iran mirrors the military buildup of assets in the Caribbean as the president weighs greenlighting strikes against the Islamic Republic.

In a tit-for-tat move, Iran has said it now considers EU militaries to be terrorist organizations. The Iranian president has called for tensions with Washington to be resolved diplomatically.