‘US is Israel’s biggest supporter’: Iran says nuclear talks now ‘meaningless’ after ‘barbaric’ strikes on Tehran

Iran has said that ongoing nuclear talks with the United States are now in jeopardy, following deadly Israeli airstrikes that hit Tehran and killed several senior officials and civilians.

Iranian state media on Saturday quoted Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying it was “unjustifiable” to continue the dialogue while what he described as “barbarous” Israeli attacks on Iran were ongoing.

The Iranian foreign ministry also issued a statement declaring that talks planned for Sunday in Oman would be “meaningless” under the current circumstances.

Iran blames US for enabling Israeli attacks

“It is obvious that in such circumstances and until the Zionist regime’s aggression against the Iranian nation stops, it would be meaningless to participate in dialogue with a party that is the biggest supporter and accomplice of the aggressor,” said Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesman for the ministry.

“It is still unclear what decision we will make for Sunday,” Baqaei added, as quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency.

He accused the United States of acting in a way that “makes dialogue meaningless”, arguing that Washington’s backing of Israel effectively destroyed any chance of productive diplomacy.

Senior Iranian official killed amid Israeli strikes

The talks, part of the sixth round of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme, were set to take place in Muscat, the capital of Oman. However, they were thrown into doubt after Israel launched large-scale airstrikes on Friday and Saturday targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and senior officials.

Among those killed was Ali Shamkhani, a former secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Council and a key figure involved in the nuclear talks. Iranian officials described his death as a direct attack on diplomacy.

Baghaei also claimed that it was “unimaginable” for Israel to have conducted such a widespread assault without approval from Washington. “This actually shows that American policymakers are still heavily affected and influenced by this regime [Israel],” he said.

Israel hits dozens of sites in Tehran, says IDF

Israel said it struck “dozens” of sites in Tehran, including missile systems. According to Iranian state media, 60 people, including 20 children, were killed in a strike on a residential building.

The Israeli Defence Forces also claimed it had killed nine Iranian nuclear scientists, an increase from the six previously reported. Iran, meanwhile, retaliated with strikes that killed three people in Israel and injured dozens more.

Trump urges Iran to stay in talks, warns of harsher response

US President Donald Trump has called on Iran to stay in the talks, arguing that dialogue is the only way to prevent further escalation. He warned that if Iran walks away, it could face even more severe attacks.

Iran maintains it is not pursuing nuclear weapons, but says it will not tolerate attacks on its territory while being asked to negotiate peace.