Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US scheduled for Sunday, 15 June, appear to be off following the Israeli air and missile strikes on Iran in the early hours of today.
The talks were formally confirmed by mediators Oman on 12 June as taking place in the Omani capital, Muscat. With the mood around the negotiations having taken a turn for the worse this past week, the new round would provide an opportunity for the sides to re-establish their demands, and re-evaluate progress.
The key outstanding issue is Iran's ability to enrich uranium, and thus, retain a theoretical path to nuclear weapons. Tehran insists it should be allowed to retain its civilian nuclear enrichment program to supply fuel to nuclear power plants, while US administration officials now appear bent on allowing zero enrichment.
The Israeli attacks, which came against US President Donald Trump's advice, appear to have thrown a wrench into the US' efforts to engage Iran diplomatically.
Speaking on state television today, Iranian parliament's national security and foreign policy committee member Alaeddin Boroujerdi said the attacks on Iran meant the talks with the US now cannot take place.
"With respect to the talks, which we entered at America's request… we were on the verge of a sixth round," he said. "But with these latest developments, I can't see a sixth round taking place."
Iran's foreign ministry, which has been leading the discussions for the Iranian side, has yet to explicitly comment on the status of the talks. Neither has Oman.
On the attacks, Tehran's Guardian Council, a powerful supervisory body tasked with overseeing legislation, vowed to "give a crushing and tooth-breaking response to these criminals of history in such a way that it will serve as a less on to the enemies of Islam, and the arrogant powers of the world."
Iran sent a barrage of drones towards Israel, which appeared to trigger a second round of Israeli strikes on several cities, including Shiraz in the south, Tabriz in the northwest, and Kermanshah in the west.
Trump calls for deal
The Trump administration has said it was not involved in the Israeli strikes, and warned Iran not to retaliate against its personnel in the Middle East.
But it did appear to have at least advance warning of the imminent attack, after ordering non-essential US personnel in Iraq and Israel to evacuate. Trump today again called on Iranian leaders to "make a deal" or face even more "death and destruction" from the next waves of Israeli attacks.
"I gave Iran chance after chance to make a deal… but no matter how hard they tried, no matter how close they got, they just couldn't get it done," Trump said on his Truth Social media platform.
"There has already been great death and destruction, but there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacked being even more brutal, come to an end. Iran must make a deal before there is nothing left."
