Iran said it’s waiting for Oman to confirm when there will be a new round of nuclear talks with the US, while also saying it had nothing to do with Houthi missile strikes on Israel.
Iranian and US officials were set to meet in Rome for a fourth round of negotiations last weekend, with Oman continuing its intermediary role. But the discussions were called off due to “logistical reasons,” Oman said, without adding when they might take place.
The delay came amid conflicting comments from the US over whether Iran should be forced to dismantle its atomic program completely, or be allowed to build nuclear power plants.
“Regarding the future of the talks, we will await Oman’s announcement,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a press conference on Monday. “We’re confident the Omanis will inform us in due time about the continuation of the process, including timing and location.”
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump told NBC News his administration was seeking the “total dismantlement” of Tehran’s nuclear program, but added he was “open to hearing” Iran’s case for seeking “civilian energy.”
“It’s a very simple deal,” Trump said. “I want Iran to be really successful, really great, really fantastic. The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon.”
Iran’s foreign minister addressed Trump’s statements on Monday.
“If the goal is ‘The only thing they can’t have is a nuclear weapon’ as President Trump just said, a deal is achievable,” Abbas Araghchi said in an X post. “There is only ONE PATH to achieve it: DIPLOMACY based on MUTUAL RESPECT and MUTUAL INTERESTS.”
He also warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who’s sceptical about any deal with Iran — was seeking to undermine Trump’s diplomatic efforts.
“Netanyahu is attempting to brazenly DICTATE what President Trump can and cannot do in his diplomacy with Iran,” Araghchi stated. “The world has also learned how Netanyahu is directly MEDDLING within the U.S. Government to DRAG it into another DISASTER in our region.”
Earlier on Monday, Iran sought to distance itself from a Houthi missile strike on Israel on Sunday, which evaded Israeli air defenses and landed near Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, causing some injuries.
The Yemen-based Houthis make “independent decisions,” the Iranian foreign ministry said on Telegram. The US and Israel have long said Iran supplies the militants with funding and weapons.
The US has been striking the Houthis every day since mid-March in a bid to stop their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and on Israel. Trump has said that Iran bears responsibility for the Houthis’ assaults.
“Israel will respond to the Houthi attack against our main airport AND, at a time and place of our choosing, to their Iranian terror masters,” Netanyahu said on X.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
