Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday said that any talks with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear programme are now “meaningless” following Israel’s recent attack on Iranian territory, according to a report by Mehr News Agency (MNA).
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh stated that the US cannot claim to be negotiating while allegedly permitting Israel to carry out military strikes.
“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,” MNA, citing Baghaei, reported.
Baghaei also accused the US of supporting the Israeli attack. He said that the Israeli regime “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and claimed the strike would not have happened without Washington’s permission.
Iran had previously accused the United States of being complicit in the Israeli military action.
The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was scheduled to take place on Sunday in Muscat.
However, following the Israeli strikes, it remains unclear whether the meeting will proceed.
Mehr News Agency, citing Reuters, reported that US President Donald Trump said he and his team were aware that the Israeli attacks were going to happen, but still believed there was a possibility for an agreement.
Meanwhile, hours after the first Israeli strike, Trump issued a warning to Iran, urging it to strike a deal “before it is too late.”
In a statement shared on Truth Social, Trump said: “I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal. I told them, in the strongest of words, to ‘just do it,’ but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn’t get it done. I told them it would be much worse than anything they know, anticipated, or were told, that the United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the World, BY FAR, and that Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it. Certain Iranian hardliners spoke bravely, but they didn’t know what was about to happen.”
“They are all DEAD now, and it will only get worse! There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire. No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. God Bless You All,” POTUS added.
Trump’s comments come amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran.
On Friday, Israel launched what it described as “pre-emptive” strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In a clarification posted on X, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said: “Iran is closer than ever to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Weapons of mass destruction in the hands of the Iranian regime are an existential threat to the State of Israel and to the wider world. The State of Israel has no choice but to fulfil the obligation to act in defence of its citizens and will continue to do so everywhere it is required to do so.”
Following the attack, CNN reported that several of Iran’s top officials, including senior military leaders and nuclear scientists, were killed.
In response, Iran reportedly launched loitering munitions and missile strikes on Tel Aviv. Israel has since continued its counter strikes. (ANI)
