The drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet when it approached the USS Abraham Lincoln operating in the Arabian Sea. The incident comes ahead of talks between the US and Iran later this week

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.

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.

Activists say that at least 6,126 people were killed in Iran's crackdown on nationwide protests and many more are still feared dead.

Iran-US tensions highlights: While it is not known what Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and Putin discussed during their meeting on Friday, AFP reported that Russia has offered to play the role of a mediator between the two nations.

Authorities in Iran have unveiled a new mural in a central Tehran square with a direct warning to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country.