A new round of nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran, planned for this weekend in Oman, has been called off following a sharp escalation in conflict between Iran and Israel. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi confirmed the cancellation on Saturday, stating the meeting scheduled for Sunday in Muscat would no longer take place. He emphasized that diplomacy remains the only route to long-term peace.
The delay comes amid intense military exchanges between Iran and Israel, which observers describe as their most serious confrontation to date. On Friday, Israeli forces launched large-scale strikes targeting Iranian military and nuclear sites. These attacks have thrown the future of diplomatic talks into serious doubt.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, said Washington still supports negotiations and hopes Tehran will return to the discussion table soon. However, Iran’s foreign ministry dismissed further talks as “meaningless,” accusing the U.S. of siding with Israel, which it called the aggressor.
A central issue remains Iran’s continued uranium enrichment program. While Iran maintains its nuclear work is for peaceful purposes, the U.S., Israel, and other Western nations have long suspected Tehran of pursuing nuclear weapons—a claim Iran strongly denies.
The negotiations, which began in April, were seen as a renewed attempt to defuse tensions and revive diplomacy. But with military actions escalating, efforts to find common ground now face serious obstacles.
