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The Iranian government has officially pulled out of talks with the US over its nuclear program following a large-scale Israeli military attack on Iranian nuclear and military facilities.
Some shit you should know before you read: If you haven’t been following along on our Instagram, yesterday Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a military campaign targeting the heart of Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. The Israeli Air Force carried out hundreds of precision strikes, many of which are still ongoing, hitting key nuclear sites, including the Natanz enrichment facility (home to Iran’s most advanced centrifuge development) and damaging ballistic missile systems, air defense networks, and underground bunkers. According to Israeli military officials, over 200 fighter jets participated in the coordinated assault. Israel also took out high-profile Iranian officials, including Gen. Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC); Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s top military officer; Ali Shamkhani, former national security chief; Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC Air Force; and six of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists. Israel has vowed that strikes will continue “for as many days as it takes” to eliminate the perceived existential threat from Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Getting into it: In a notable development, the Iranian government has officially pulled out of nuclear negotiations with the United States, just days before a sixth round of high-level talks was scheduled to take place in Oman. Iranian state television confirmed the abrupt cancellation, citing Israel’s surprise military strikes on key nuclear and military targets within Iran as the reason for suspending the talks “until further notice.”
Senior Iranian lawmaker Aladdin Boroujerdi, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, publicly stated that the strikes made continued talks impossible. The meeting was expected to include US envoy Steven Witkoff and his Iranian counterpart.
President Trump, who has been leading efforts to secure a new agreement to replace the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has pushed back on the news, calling on Iran to come to the table before it’s too late. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said, “There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end.” Trump added that Iran “must make a deal before there is nothing left,” and warned that hard-liners opposing negotiations were “all DEAD now.”
This all comes as the impact from Israel’s strikes intensifies. As of now, oil prices have surged in response to the attacks. In addition, airspace closures across Iran, Israel, Iraq, and Jordan have forced major airlines, including Emirates and Qatar Airways, to cancel or reroute flights.
