U.S.-Iran nuclear talks "will not take place": Omani FM

MUSCAT, June 14 (Xinhua) -- Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi said on Saturday that the sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, scheduled for Sunday, "will not take place."

In a post on social media platform X, Albusaidi reaffirmed that diplomacy and dialogue remain the only path to achieving lasting peace.

The announcement was made amid heightened tensions following Israel's large-scale strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities, which have raised fears of a broader regional escalation.

Israel early Friday launched airstrikes on Iran's capital Tehran and other cities across the country with the aim of crippling Iran's nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile production, and military capabilities.

In response, Iran on Friday night launched a salvo of ballistic missiles against military targets in Israel.

In a phone call with the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas earlier Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi stressed that the continuation of indirect negotiations between his country and the United States amid Israel's "continued brutality" is unjustifiable.

Commenting on Iran's decision about taking part in the sixth round of the talks with the United States, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said, "Under the present circumstances, our main focus is on confronting the enemy's aggression."

Facilitated by Oman, Iranian and U.S. delegations have so far held five rounds of indirect talks since April on Tehran's nuclear program and the lifting of U.S. sanctions -- three in Muscat and two in Rome.■