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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday said indirect talks with the US through its intermediary Oman have stopped as Tehran "does not see a basis" for them amid wars and heightened tension in the region.
Oman is a frequent interlocutor between Iran and western nations, particularly the US, and has played a key role in indirect nuclear talks as well as prisoner swaps.
"We do not see a basis for these talks until we can overcome the current crisis and then we will decide whether to start working again or not," Mr Araghchi said in Muscat, Iran's Irna agency reported.
Mr Araghchi met Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam in Muscat as part of a visit to Oman, the latest in a series of diplomatic trips in the region following Israel's vow to retaliate against an Iranian missile attack two weeks ago. The Houthis have also launched attacks on Tel Aviv to which Israel responded by hitting Yemen's Hodeidah port, a lifeline for millions of Yemenis who require food and aid assistance.
Mr Araghchi also met Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Al Busaidi.
Last week, Oman and Iran held joint naval and land forces drills, aiming to enhance combat preparedness of the neighbours who share a maritime border along the Gulf of Oman.
“For the time being, the Muscat process is stopped because of special situation in the region," Mr Araghchi said, as fighting rages on in Gaza and Lebanon. Iran is also bracing for Israeli retaliation after the barrage of ballistic missiles Iran fired at the country in retaliation to a series of Israeli strikes on Lebanon that killed a large part of Hezbollah's leadership, as well as Iranian military commander Abbas Nilforoushan.
The US is Israel's close ally and major provider of military assistance while Iran backs Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, all of which are fighting Israel.
Iran has repeatedly accused the US of assisting Israel in committing genocide and war crimes in Gaza since the conflict began, and has described the October 7 attacks on Israel carried out by militant group Hamas as “a turning point in the history of the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people”.
Mr Araghchi said no message was sent to the US during his regional trip but that Iran's position has been relayed to the West.
"Our position is quite clear and we have repeated many times that we do not want war and conflict although we are fully prepared for it," Mr Araghchi said, in a message to the US and European countries. He stressed that diplomacy should be enough to prevent a war with Israel from taking place.
"The region is experiencing a state of alert and may be on the verge of large-scale conflicts, and diplomacy is the only way to prevent and avoid major crises," he said. He praised Oman's important role in resolving numerous issues through its mediation.
Under new President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran has been indicating a will to return to negotiations with the US to revive a nuclear deal, leading to the lifting of sanctions. Tehran has been accused of enriching uranium to nearly weapons-grade levels since former US president Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018.
Mr Araghchi said future decisions on whether to resume indirect talks with the US would be made "after further assessment", as a possible warming of ties between Iran and the West seem more distant than ever given the tension in the region. The EU on Monday imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials and groups accused of being involved in the transfer of missiles and drones for Russia to use in Ukraine.
The minister's regional trip began with a visit to Saudi Arabia last week where he met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He also travelled to Qatar and Iraq where discussions were also centred on the need to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
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Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
