Iran has said that talks with the United States on its nuclear programme are now “meaningless” after what it described as Israel’s largest military strike against its territory. Tehran accused Washington of backing the Israeli attack.Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told Iran’s Tasnim news agency, “The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory.” He also said that Israel had “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and suggested that the attack would not have happened without US approval.Earlier, Iran had accused the United States of being involved in the Israeli strikes. Washington denied the accusation and, speaking at the United Nations Security Council, urged Tehran to return to negotiations, saying it would be “wise” to resume talks on its nuclear programme.In a dramatic twist, however, US President Donald Trump claimed credit for setting the stage, citing a 60-day ultimatum he says he gave Iran, even as his own officials denied direct American involvement in the operation. Trump took to Truth Social on Friday to suggest the strikes followed a countdown he had initiated.” Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to ‘make a deal,'” Trump wrote. The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was scheduled for Sunday in Muscat. However, after the Israeli strikes, it remains uncertain whether the talks will take place as planned.Iran launched back-to-back missile and drone strikes on Israel overnight, responding to what it called Israel’s largest-ever military operation. The second wave of attacks from the Khamenei-led government came shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, warning that more Israeli operations were continuing.
Iran maintains that its uranium enrichment programme is solely for civilian use, rejecting Israel’s allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.