Iran cancels US nuclear talks next round amid ‘barbarous’ Israeli attacks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed to Al Jazeera that the next round of Iran-United States nuclear negotiations, scheduled for Sunday in Oman, has been cancelled.
Asked on Saturday, “Can we have a clear confirmation that Sunday’s talks are cancelled?”, Araghchi responded, “Yes”.
Shortly after that, Oman also confirmed the talks “will not now take place”.
Earlier, Iran had clearly intimated that the continuation of nuclear talks with the US was unjustifiable while “barbarous”
Israeli attacks target the nation, Iranian state media reported, quoting Araghchi.
It seemed inevitable that the talks would fall victim to the sudden, massive escalation by Israel and Iran’s retaliation.
Tehran branded dialogue over its nuclear programme with the US as “meaningless” after Israel launched its biggest-ever military strike against Iran, which Tehran accuses Washington, DC, of supporting.
“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,” Iran’s semiofficial Tasnim news agency quoted Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying on Saturday.
The US has denied the Iranian allegation of being complicit in Israel’s attacks and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its
nuclear programme.
US President Donald Trump has called the Israeli attacks on Iran “excellent” after
initially warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against action that could jeopardise nuclear talks.
Trump on Friday framed the volatile conflict with Israel as a possible “second chance” for Iran’s leadership to avoid further destruction, “before there is nothing left and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire”.
