Abbas Araqchi
Abbas AraqchiReuters/Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Iran announced on Monday that it currently sees "no grounds" for continuing its indirect talks with the United States through intermediary Oman, citing the escalating crisis in the Middle East, AFP reported.

In June, Tehran had confirmed that it engaged in indirect discussions with Washington through Muscat, despite the lack of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

At the time, US news website Axios reported that Iranian and American officials held indirect talks in Oman "on how to avoid escalating regional attacks."

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi visited the Gulf sultanate as part of a regional tour, meeting with allies and Middle East powers after Israel vowed to retaliate against Tehran’s recent missile strikes.

"Currently, we don't see any grounds for these talks, until we can get past the current crisis," Araqchi said during a press conference in Muscat, as quoted by AFP.

He added that the discussions had been suspended "due to the specific conditions of the region."

Oman has traditionally played a mediating role between Iran and the United States, whose diplomatic relations were severed after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

In 2023, Iran confirmed reports of indirect talks with the US in Oman, but denied it was interested in an interim deal with Washington.

Araqchi’s visit to Oman comes amid wide expectations that Israel will retaliate against Iran for its ballistic missile attack on Israel earlier this month.

On Sunday, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said that Iran is ready to respond to any Israeli action against the country.