Washington and Tehran waged a war of words Thursday ahead of key talks in Oman after US President Donald Trump said military action was "absolutely" possible if the talks fail.

A senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran could expel UN nuclear watchdog inspectors over "threats" ahead of Saturday's talks.

Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani's comments came after US Trump Wednesday failed to rule out military action against Iran in the event the planned talks fail to produce a deal.

"The continuation of external threats and Iran being in a state of military attack may lead to deterrent measures, including expulsion of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and cessation of cooperation," Shamkhani said on X.

"Transfer of enriched materials to secure locations may also be considered," he added, referring to the country's uranium........

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