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One of Iran’s top officials has said that attempting to restart nuclear talks with the United States is “meaningless” amid ongoing Israeli military strikes.
Some shit you should know before you read: Just to bring you up to speed on the timeline, on Thursday, Israel launched a large-scale air offensive against Iran targeting key components of its nuclear infrastructure and military leadership. According to the Israeli military, the initial strikes hit over 150 sites, including the Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities, as well as a meeting of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) air force commanders, where 30 top officials were reportedly killed. Among the casualties were nine nuclear scientists who, according to Israeli intelligence, were instrumental in advancing Iran’s atomic program. The operation came just one day after the IAEA released a report warning that Iran was in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium beyond permissible levels. Notably, on the same day as the Israeli strikes, Iran announced plans to open a new uranium enrichment facility, which the US had warned would lead to a bad outcome. President Donald Trump had advised against any Israeli strike on Iran at this time, arguing it could derail ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations that were set to resume this weekend. Despite those talks, Israel moved forward, citing an urgent need to neutralize what it described as an imminent existential threat.
What’s going on now: In a notable development, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said that ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States were now “meaningless” in light of the Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and key defense infrastructure. Speaking on Iranian state television, Baghaei stated, “The other side acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless,” referring to what Tehran sees as the United States’ support for Israel’s actions.
He argued that Iran could not continue diplomatic engagement while facing what he described as “barbarous attacks” on its sovereign territory and scientists.
His comments came just days before Iran and the US were scheduled to resume talks aimed at resolving disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program. Following Baghaei’s announcement, the Omani government, which has historically acted as a key mediator between Tehran and Washington, confirmed that the planned nuclear talks had been postponed indefinitely. Officials in Muscat cited the “current military climate” as incompatible with productive diplomacy.
