Iran says talks with US 'meaningless' after Israel attack, but yet to decide on attending
CAIRO: Iran said the dialogue with the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme is "meaningless" after Israel's biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday (Jun 15).
"The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran's territory," state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
"It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard," Baghaei was quoted as saying.
He said Israel "succeeded in influencing" the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington's permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.
Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel's attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be "wise" to negotiate over its nuclear programme.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.
Iran denies that its uranium enrichment programme is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.
US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.
Trump earlier said it was not too late for Tehran to halt the Israeli bombing campaign by reaching a deal on its nuclear programme.
"Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to 'make a deal'," Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Friday. "They should have done it! Today is day 61 ... Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!"
Tehran had been engaged in talks with the Trump administration on a deal to curb its nuclear programme to replace one that Trump abandoned in 2018. Tehran rejected the last US offer.
Trump had suggested that Iran had brought the attack on itself by resisting the US ultimatum.
US officials have repeatedly said any new deal - to replace a 2015 accord between Tehran and six world powers from which Trump withdrew - must include a commitment to scrap uranium enrichment, a prerequisite for developing nuclear bombs.
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