Iran will not participate in indirect talks with the United States, which were scheduled for 15 June in the Omani capital, Muscat. This was reported by Iranian state television, citing government sources, according to the Turkish edition of Milliyet.
“Iran will not participate in the indirect talks with the United States on the nuclear programme scheduled for 15 June in Muscat,” the official statement said.
This decision called into question the further fate of the negotiation process aimed at reaching a new nuclear agreement to replace the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As a reminder, in 2018, then US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement, calling it “catastrophic”.
Since April of this year, Iran and the United States have already held five rounds of indirect talks mediated by Oman, but no breakthrough has been achieved. Last week, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghai said that Tehran was preparing a counter-proposal to Washington, which was to be transmitted through diplomatic channels to Oman. However, the further escalation in the Middle East and Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities are likely to have been critical factors in Tehran’s change of heart.
Iran’s refusal to negotiate amid rising tensions with Israel and the deaths of key military leaders may indicate a shift to a tougher line in foreign policy.
