Tehran [Iran], June 15: The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the United States scheduled for Sunday in the Omani capital Muscat have been cancelled, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi said in a post on X on Saturday as the conflict between Iran and Israel rages on.
"The Iran US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place. But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace," Al Busaidi wrote.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said earlier that the government sees no purpose in continuing the negotiations following Israel's large-scale attack on Iranian nuclear sites, military leaders and top scientists early on Friday.
Tehran called the onslaught a declaration of war, and retaliated, firing dozens of missiles and drones towards Israel on Saturday.
Washington and Tehran have been negotiating over Iran's controversial nuclear programme for around two months, mediated by Oman. Tehran was in return pushing for international sanctions to be lifted. US President Donald Trump has threatened military action should the talks fail.
The US and Iran resumed their talks in April for the first time since Washington withdrew from the Vienna nuclear agreement in 2018.
That deal came amid fears in Israel, the US and other Western countries that Iran is secretly developing nuclear weapons, though Tehran continues to insist its programme is solely for civilian purposes.
The 2015 Vienna agreement saw Iran agree to restrict its nuclear programme after lengthy negotiations with China, Russia, the US, France, Germany and the UK.
However, after Trump unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018, he imposed new, harsh sanctions, crippling the Iranian economy.
Source: Qatar Tribune
