U.S. President Donald Trump, who scrapped an earlier nuclear agreement with Iran during his first term, has repeatedly threatened to use force to compel Iran to agree to constrain its nuclear program. Iran has said it would respond with an attack of its own. Trump has also threatened Iran over the killing of protesters.

The Iranian naval drill and the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea underscore the tensions between the nations.

President Donald Trump previously indicated that the U.S. could use Royal Air Force bases in Fairford, England, and in the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, to conduct the strikes if Iran does not agree to curb its nuclear program.

As the United States continues a significant military buildup in the Middle East, Iran has taken steps to signal its readiness for war, including fortifying its nuclear sites and rebuilding missile production facilities.

The latest round of negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program has ended without a breakthrough, and the threat of US military action still looms large. The ball seems to be back in Iran's court.

Iran is expected to submit a written proposal on how to resolve its standoff with the United States in the wake of U.S.-Iran talks in Geneva on Tuesday,

Oil prices jumped Thursday to their highest level in nearly seven months and investors snapped up safe havens like gold, as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to flare.

Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said no country can deprive the Islamic republic of its right to nuclear enrichment, after US President Donald Trump again hinted at military action following talks in Geneva.