Iran had just agreed to never stockpile enriched uranium, then Israel bombed Tehran anyway and a diplomat says it was deliberate

The United States and Israel have launched attacks on Iran, with explosions reported across Tehran and other parts of the country. Retaliatory explosions are also hitting northern Israel and multiple Gulf Arab states.

As negotiations between the U.S. and Iran appeared “close to success,” Israel “intervened to preempt diplomacy,” a senior Middle East diplomat with direct knowledge of the recent talks told NBC News. “Yet again when negotiations get close to success Israel has intervened,” the diplomat said, adding: “Yet again an Israeli tail is wagging the American dog.”

President Donald Trump said the U.S. “sought repeatedly to make a deal” to curtail Iran’s nuclear program. “We tried,” he said in a statement released on Truth Social. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran “must not be armed with nuclear weapons that would allow it to threaten all of humanity,” and that the joint military action would “create the conditions for the courageous Iranian people to take their destiny into their own hands.”

A major diplomatic breakthrough was within reach before the strikes began

Just before the attacks, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi said Iran had agreed during indirect talks with the U.S. to never stockpile enriched uranium, calling it a major breakthrough. He said all remaining issues in a deal could be resolved “amicably and comprehensively” within a few months. “A peace deal is within our reach … if we just allow diplomacy the space it needs to get there,” Al Busaidi said.

“If the ultimate objective is to ensure forever that Iran cannot have a nuclear bomb, I think we have cracked that problem through these negotiations by agreeing [on] a very important breakthrough that has never been achieved any time before,” he said.

“The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never ever have nuclear material that will create a bomb.” The strikes came amid reports that Iran’s internet was shut down as military pressure mounted, adding to the chaos on the ground.

Al Busaidi explained: “Now we are talking about zero stockpiling, and that is very, very important because if you cannot stockpile material that is enriched, then there is no way that you can actually create a bomb.” He added that there would also be “full and comprehensive verification by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency].” Iran would also reduce its current nuclear stockpiles to “the lowest level possible” so that it is “converted into fuel, and that fuel will be irreversible.”

On the question of Iran’s missile program, Al Busaidi said: “I believe Iran is open to discuss everything.” When asked if enough progress had been made in Geneva to prevent a U.S. attack on Iran, the minister said, “I hope so.” He added: “We have really advanced substantially… the big picture is that a deal is in our hands.”

Trump, however, said on Friday he was not happy with how the talks in Geneva had gone. “We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating,” he told reporters, adding that Iran “should make a deal.” He also said he would prefer not to use military force, “but sometimes you have to do it.”

For a detailed breakdown of how the U.S. and Israel struck Iran by air and sea after nuclear talks collapsed, the full timeline has been reported separately. The U.S. and Iran had been expected to meet again on Monday in Vienna for another round of indirect talks, but that is now unlikely given the attacks.