Iran says nuclear talks with US now ‘meaningless’ after Israeli strikes

Iran declared on June 13 that dialogue with the US over its nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran accused Washington of backing the Israeli attack.

“The other side acted in a way that rendered dialogue meaningless,” said Esmail Baghaei, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

Baghaei said Israel had “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and asserted that the Israeli strike could not have occurred without US approval.

Iran has previously accused the US of complicity in Israeli attacks. However, Washington has denied the claims and told Tehran at the UN Security Council that it would be “wise” to engage in nuclear negotiations.

The sixth round of Iran-US nuclear talks was scheduled to take place in Muscat on Sunday, but it remains unclear whether the talks will proceed in light of the Israeli strikes.

Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment program is intended solely for civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team were aware of the Israeli attacks but still believe there is room for reaching an agreement.