Iran calls nuclear talks with US 'meaningless' amid Israeli strikes
TEHRAN — Iran's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that there was 'no point' in continuing nuclear talks with the United States while Israeli attacks on Iranian territory persist, casting doubt over the scheduled negotiations in Oman.
Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated that under the current circumstances, "participating in a dialogue with a party that is the aggressor's biggest supporter and partner is meaningless."
The comments came ahead of the sixth round of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, which were due to take place in Muscat on Sunday.
Baghaei accused Washington of backing Israel's latest military campaign, which Tehran says marks the most extensive Israeli strike on Iranian soil to date.
'The other side has acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless,' he said, adding that 'you cannot claim to negotiate while simultaneously dividing labor by allowing the Israeli regime to target Iranian territory.'
He further claimed that the Israeli operation could not have occurred without U.S. approval and accused Israel of deliberately undermining the diplomatic process.While Iran has consistently denied that its nuclear program has any military dimension, it reiterated that the enrichment activities remain strictly for civilian purposes.Israel alleges otherwise, claiming Tehran is covertly pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities.U.S. President Donald Trump, speaking to Reuters, acknowledged awareness of the Israeli strikes but maintained that there was still potential for a deal with Tehran.The White House has denied any direct involvement in the Israeli operation.
As of Saturday, it remained unclear whether the Muscat talks would go ahead as planned. — Agencies
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