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The latest U.S.-Iran talks on Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program will not take place Sunday (June 15, 2025), mediator Oman said Saturday (June 14, 2025), as Israel and Iran traded blows a day after Israel’s blistering attack on Iranian nuclear and military sites.
Also read: Israel-Iran conflict updates on June 14, 2025
An Israeli drone struck and caused a “strong explosion” at an Iranian natural gas processing plant, semi-official Iranian news agencies reported — the first Israeli attack on Iran’s oil and natural gas industry, if confirmed. Israel did not immediately comment. The plant located in Iran’s South Pars natural gas field produces liquefied natural gas and other products, and the extent of the damage was not immediately clear.
The two days of intense attacks have left Iran’s surviving leadership with the difficult decision of plunging deeper into conflict with Israel’s more powerful forces or seeking a diplomatic route.
Israel’s ongoing strikes have halted — for now — diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran. Oman’s Foreign Minister, Badr al-Busaidi, said on social media that talks on Sunday (June 15, 2025) “will not now take place,” but he added that “diplomacy and dialogue remain the only pathway to lasting peace.”
Israel and Iran have signaled more attacks are coming, despite urgent calls from world leaders to de-escalate to avoid all-out war. The region is already on edge as Israel makes a new push to eliminate the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas in Gaza after 20 months of fighting.
Israel — which is widely believed to have a nuclear weapons program — said its hundreds of strikes on Iran over the past two days also killed nine senior scientists and experts involved in Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s U.N. ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 were wounded.
Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook buildings. The Israeli military urged civilians, already rattled by the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’ October 7 attack, to head to shelter for hours. Health officials said three people were killed and dozens were wounded.
Defense Minister Israel Katz said Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens. “If (Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn,” Mr. Katz said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday (June 13, 2025) that his objective was to eliminate any Iranian threat to Israel, but he also urged Iranians to rise up against their leaders.
The U.S. and Iran were scheduled to be in Oman on Sunday (June 15, 2025) for their sixth round of indirect talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s top diplomat said Saturday (June 14, 2025) the talks were “unjustifiable” after the Israeli strikes.
The comments by Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, came during a call with Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat.
The Israeli airstrikes were the “result of the direct support by Washington,” Mr. Araghchi said in a statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency. The U.S. has said it isn’t part of the strikes.
There was no immediate word from the White House after Araghchi’s comments. On Friday (June 13, 2025), U.S. President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with the U.S. on its nuclear program. He warned on social media that Israel’s attacks “will only get worse”, adding that “Iran must make a deal before there is nothing left.”
Published – June 14, 2025 09:56 pm IST