Donald Trump has said failure to do a deal could lead to US strikes. But the Iranians say a deal on the terms the president is currently proposing would be tantamount to surrender.

Iran is not being subtle.

In exercises in one of the world’s most strategic waterways, it left little doubt of its capabilities with missile strikes on dummy targets and simulated tanker seizures.

“A warship is a dangerous device,” he said. “But more dangerous than that is a weapon that can send that warship deep under the sea.”

A fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran’s exercises have closed it, albeit temporarily, giving a clear sense of what could be to come if the US strikes Iran.

Just a few hundred miles east, a formidable array of US military forces is also amassing.

The USS Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group has been conducting exercises of its own. The kind you only carry out if you are preparing for offensive action.

A stretch of water the world relies on for 20% of its oil is becoming cluttered with rival navies, both drilling for war. What could possibly go wrong?

Read More: Middle East seemingly edging closer to war as Donald Trump moves warships – and Iran drops any subtlety in response