Oman’s foreign minister Badr al-Busaidi announced on Saturday that the planned talks between Iran and the United States on Tehran’s fast-moving nuclear programme have been called off following Israel’s recent strikes on the West Asian country. Al-Busaidi, whose country has been acting as a mediator, confirmed the cancellation in a social media post, saying: “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.”
An Israeli drone struck and caused a “strong explosion” at an Iranian natural-gas processing plant, news agency Associated Press reported, citing semiofficial Iranian news agencies — the first Israeli attack on Iran’s oil and natural gas industry, if confirmed. The meeting in Muscat would have marked the sixth round of backchannel discussions, but Iran’s foreign minister had earlier called any negotiations “unjustifiable” amid the ongoing Israeli attacks.Israel carried out what it termed “pre-emptive” airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure on Friday, citing an imminent threat. In a statement 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.“The strikes killed several high-ranking Iranian officials, including senior military commanders and nuclear scientists.Iran retaliated with missile and loitering drone attacks on Tel Aviv, prompting further Israeli counterstrikes, intensifying the rapidly escalating conflict.
