Tehran escalates tensions ahead of nuclear talks with United States warning of expelling UN nuclear inspectors if foreign threats persist.

President Masoud Pezeshkian declared no conspiracy could suppress Iran’s progress, while Tehran’s navy chief vowed to “drown aggressors like Pharaoh in the sea” in response to US President Donald Trump’s military threats.

On Thursday, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, advisor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, cautioned that continued hostility might end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, potentially ejecting its observers.

Trump’s earlier remarks about possible military action against Iran’s nuclear program fueled Tehran’s defiance viewing them as signs of aggression.

Despite Iran’s insistence on pursuing only peaceful nuclear energy, Washington’s ongoing sanctions have strained relations. Pezeshkian criticized Israel and Western powers asserting Tehran’s development remains unstoppable.

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As diplomatic talks loom in Oman, analysts fear negotiations could tip toward either peace or conflict, with war drums echoing around the table.