Sunday's U.S.-Iran nuclear talks cancelled, Oman says
Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
The latest round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.
Albusaidi's statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.
A senior official of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday's talks had been cancelled.
Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped 'the Iranians will come to the table soon,' the official said.
Iran said the dialogue with the U.S. over Tehran's nuclear program 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.
'The other side (the U.S.) 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.
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Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo The latest round of U.S.-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks. Albusaidi's statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon. A senior official of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday's talks had been cancelled. Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped 'the Iranians will come to the table soon,' the official said. Iran said the dialogue with the U.S. over Tehran's nuclear program 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. 'The other side (the U.S.) 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.
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the continuation of indirect talks between Washington and Tehran is "unjustifiable." In a call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Araghchi said that 'Israel's hostile actions stem from direct US support,' emphasizing that 'ongoing indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States are unjustifiable while the Zionist regime's brutality continues.' The Iranian minister condemned the 'violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the attacks on nuclear facilities and residential areas, which have led to the deaths of military personnel, university professors, women, and children.' He called for a 'decisive global response and international condemnation of Israeli aggression.' Araghchi further stressed that 'attacking peaceful nuclear facilities is illegal and strictly prohibited under international law, and the international community is obligated to hold the Zionist regime accountable for this grave and unprecedented violation.' Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said in a statement ahead of the scheduled Sunday talks: 'It is clear that under such circumstances, and as long as the Zionist regime's aggression against the Iranian nation continues, engaging in dialogue with a party that is the biggest supporter and partner of the aggressor is meaningless.' He added that 'Iran's diplomatic apparatus is currently fully focused on confronting Israeli aggression,' and noted that 'despite all its claims about dialogue and diplomacy, the United States is complicit with Israel, including in the targeting of peaceful Iranian nuclear facilities.'
