Fate of Iran nuclear talks in doubt as Israel continues attacks

The US hopes that talks with Tehran about its nuclear programme will continue, despite Israel's attacks on Iran that have called into question the merit of negotiations.

Following Friday's strikes, Iran said it was withdrawing from the sixth round of nuclear negotiations that were due to take place in Oman on Sunday with US Special Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

The talks were supposed to forestall military action against Iran by forcing it to give up all uranium enrichment capabilities and abandon its drive to develop a nuclear weapon. For weeks, US President Donald Trump sounded optimistic that a deal could be achieved, while also threatening dire consequences for Iran if it did not reach an agreement.

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Ultimately, Israel rendered those talks moot by launching a “pre-emptive” strike against Iran's military leaders and its nuclear sites.

Despite those actions, Mr Trump insisted Iran possibly has a “second chance” to come to the negotiating table.

“Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian empire. No more death, no more destruction, just do it, before it is too late,” he wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Israel began striking Iranian targets in the early hours of Friday and continued its attacks throughout the day. Iran later responded, unleashing dozens of missiles at Israel.

Israel's strikes were far more extensive than those it conducted against Iran last year, and underscored the country’s growing assertiveness, as well as its military and intelligence capabilities.

Mossad released video that it claims shows its agents deployed in Iran.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran will make Israel regret its attacks.

“The Iranian nation and the country's officials will not remain silent in the face of this crime, and the legitimate and powerful response of the Islamic Republic of Iran will make the enemy regret its foolish act,” Mr Pezeshkian said in a video statement aired on state TV.

Mr Trump later told Reuters that the US still has nuclear talks planned with Iran on Sunday but that he is not sure if they will take place.

“I tried to save Iran humiliation and death,” Mr Trump said, adding he is not concerned about a regional war breaking out as a result of Israel's strikes.

A US official told The National that Washington is planning for talks to continue.

“We still intend to have talks,” the official said, without specifying when these might occur.

Israel said it struck around 100 targets across Iranian cities on Friday morning, using 200 planes. The attacks caused oil prices to surge and investors to buy safe havens such as gold and US Treasuries.

When asked by NBC News why he thinks Iran would still want to hold talks, Mr Trump said Iranian representatives were calling him to suggest they still wanted a deal.

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, said Iran might continue talks, provided the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is willing to do so.

He “has to make a decision” about how much he wants to respond, Mr Vatanka said.

“If he wants to step down, the obvious thing to do is to go back to the negotiations, to look for a way to either give up enrichment, temporarily or for good, or find a compromise somewhere between,” Mr Vatanka said.

“If you can avoid humiliating Ali Khamenei, if you think … he's going to stay in power, then don't humiliate him. Find a way for him to find it easy to come back and negotiate”.