Iran is reportedly mulling over proposing an interim nuclear agreement during crucial talks with the United States in Oman. Tehran might suggest that the two countries should work on an interim nuclear agreement before pursuing negotiations over a comprehensive deal, Axios reported, citing a European diplomat and a source familiar with the issue. 

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Trump has set a two-month deadline for negotiations with Iran on a new nuclear deal, and in case it doesn't work out, the US president could order a US military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities or support an Israeli strike. He has already asked authorities for a build-up of US military forces in the Middle East. 

This comes ahead of Saturday's talks, which are followed by a diplomatic tussle and war of words between Tehran and Washington, with US President Donald Trump even saying that military action was "absolutely" possible if the talks fail.

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On the other hand, a senior adviser to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Iran could expel UN nuclear watchdog inspectors over "threats" ahead of talks. 

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

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"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 enrichment. 

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce warned Iran against making a misstep. "The threat of that kind of action, of course, is inconsistent with Iran's claims of a peaceful nuclear programme," she told reporters.

"Also, expelling IAEA inspectors from Iran would be an escalation and a miscalculation on Iran's part." 

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What happened in 2015 and 2018? 

In 2015, Iran reached a landmark nuclear deal with major powers that gave it relief from international sanctions in return for restrictions on its nuclear activities monitored by UN inspectors. 

But in 2018, during Trump's first term in office, the US withdrew from the agreement and reinstated biting sanctions on Iran. A year later, Iran began rolling back on its commitments under the agreement and accelerated its nuclear programme. 

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced hope Thursday about US-Iran nuclear talks taking place in Oman, saying they could lead to "peace". "We hope that will lead to peace," Rubio told a meeting of Trump's cabinet. "We're hopeful about that," he said.

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(With inputs from agencies)