Oman announced that the sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat has been cancelled following Israeli airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. The escalation has left diplomacy in limbo and increased fears of a broader regional war.
Planned indirect nuclear talks between the United States and Iran will no longer take place, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi confirmed Saturday, according to a report published by The Associated Press. The talks, which were scheduled to take place in Muscat, were suspended following Israel’s airstrikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites.
“The Iran-US talks scheduled to be held in Muscat this Sunday will not now take place,” al-Busaidi announced on social media, adding, “But diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.”
The announcement follows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s statement that negotiations with Washington were now “unjustifiable” in the context of what Tehran calls continued Israeli aggression. Oman, a longtime facilitator in the region, had been mediating the indirect discussions aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear advancements.
On Friday, Israel launched a wave of coordinated airstrikes on what it described as Iranian nuclear infrastructure and military command centres. According to Israeli officials cited by the AP, the attacks targeted 150 sites, killing nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists and dozens of military personnel.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations said that 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded, including high-ranking officers in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, as reported by the AP.
In retaliation, Iran launched drones and ballistic missiles toward Israel, triggering alarms across Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. The Israeli military urged residents to take shelter, with health authorities confirming three deaths and dozens of injuries.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning on Saturday: “If (Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front—Tehran will burn.” He said Iran would “pay a heavy price” for targeting Israeli civilians, per the AP report.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel’s objective is to “eliminate any Iranian threat” and called on the Iranian people to rise up against their regime.
Before the attacks, a sixth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the US was set for Sunday in Muscat. These indirect talks, facilitated by Oman and the European Union, aimed to limit Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
In a call with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Araghchi accused the US of indirectly enabling Israel’s aggression. “The Israeli airstrikes were the result of the direct support by Washington,” Araghchi claimed, as quoted by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.
While the US government has denied involvement in the Israeli operation, President Donald Trump urged Iran on Friday to pursue a deal. “Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left,” he posted on social media, warning that Israel’s strikes “will only get worse.”
The situation has cast a shadow over already-tense regional dynamics, particularly as Israel intensifies its military campaign in Gaza against the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas. After more than 20 months of warfare, analysts cited by the agency have warned that the latest Iran-Israel confrontation could broaden into a regional war with global implications.
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