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.

U.S. President Donald Trump issued another ultimatum to Iran on Jan. 28, threatening to strike the regime if it does not agree to a deal on limiting its nuclear weapons program. Earlier in January, Iran was rocked by nationwide protests fueled by high inflation and the sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial.

Iranian regime projects strength through staged images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at prayers, a senior official with the National Council of Resistance of Iran said.

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.

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.

Iran, Russia, and China conducted joint military drills near the Strait of Hormuz as US threats against Iran intensify and regional actors prepare for possible escalation.

The force was in the spotlight on Thursday as the European Union moved to declare it a terrorist organization over its part in the bloody crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran earlier this month.