'Do not see any ground...': Iran halts indirect talks with US in Oman as it awaits Israeli retaliation

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday said that Iran has stopped indirect talks with the US in Oman as tensions remain high over a possible Israeli retaliatory strike on the Islamic Republic in response to its missile attack two weeks ago.

According to The Associate Press report, Araghchi made the comment to Iranian state media while in Muscat, Oman.

Oman has long been an interlocutor between Iran and the US, particularly in the secret talks that birthed Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

“For the time being, the Muscat process is stopped because of special situation in the region,” The Associated Press, citing the state-run IRNA news agency, quoted Araghchi as saying.

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“We do not see any ground for the talks until we can pass the current crisis.”

According to the report, the US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Under new President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran has indicated a desire to negotiate with the US for sanctions relief. Since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear accord, Tehran has increased its uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade levels and expanded its stockpile.

Despite these developments, US intelligence agencies maintain that Iran has not initiated efforts to build a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, Israel has threatened a significant retaliatory strike in response to a recent ballistic missile attack from Iran, marking the second direct assault on Israel since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war.

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With inputs from agencies