Iran calls upcoming nuclear talks with the US “meaningless” after Israeli military strikes. Tehran blames Washington for complicity, while Trump issues a dire warning. As missile exchanges escalate between Iran and Israel, the future of nuclear negotiations and regional stability hangs in the balance.
Iran has declared the upcoming round of indirect nuclear negotiations with the United States as “meaningless” following recent Israeli military strikes that have further inflamed tensions in the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei made the announcement on Saturday during a press conference in Tehran, accusing Washington of complicity in Israel’s aggression.
Speaking to reporters, Baghaei criticized the United States for allegedly enabling Israel’s military operations against Iranian territory, casting doubt on the future of the nuclear negotiations scheduled to be held on Sunday in Muscat, Oman.
“The other side [the United States] acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing Israel to target Iran’s territory,” Baghaei stated, according to the semi-official Mehr News Agency.
He further emphasized that Iran is now reassessing its position in light of recent events. “It is inconceivable that the regime could have committed such a crime without US approval,” Baghaei remarked, suggesting that the Israeli strikes had at least the tacit backing of Washington.
The fragile diplomatic effort to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, appears to be on the brink of collapse. Talks have been ongoing for months, with intermittent progress, but the latest surge in military activity may derail them entirely.
Adding fuel to the fire, former US President Donald Trump posted a strongly worded statement on Truth Social Friday, in which he claimed to have given Iran “chance after chance” to reach a deal. Trump’s message carried a threatening undertone, warning Iran of dire consequences if it continued to resist negotiations.
“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,” Trump wrote. “The United States makes the best and most lethal military equipment anywhere in the world, by far, and Israel has a lot of it, with much more to come – And they know how to use it.”
He went on to say that Iranian hardliners who resisted were “all dead now,” and warned that “planned attacks” would become even more brutal if Iran does not comply. “No more death, no more destruction, just do it, before it is too late. God Bless You All,” the former president concluded.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially confirmed the launch of ‘Operation Rising Lion’, a targeted military campaign aimed at countering what Israel views as an existential threat from Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Speaking on Friday, Netanyahu said, “This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival. We will not allow a nuclear-armed Iran.”
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The situation escalated further early Saturday when Iranian state television reported a renewed wave of missile attacks on Israeli targets. This counteroffensive marks a significant intensification of the ongoing hostilities.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the attack, stating, “Another barrage has been fired towards Israel.” While the total number of projectiles and the specific regions targeted were not immediately disclosed, the latest strikes have heightened concerns of a full-scale regional war.
As both sides trade military blows, prospects for diplomacy appear increasingly bleak. With the next round of nuclear talks uncertain, the possibility of de-escalation through dialogue hangs in the balance. International observers warn that unless cooler heads prevail, the conflict could rapidly spiral out of control, drawing in other actors and destabilizing the broader Middle East.
