Oman's FM: US allies must must help end unlawful war

A nearly finalised nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran has collapsed and given way to escalating military confrontation, the Economist writes, citing Oman’s foreign minister.

Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi said Washington and Tehran had been closer to reaching a deal on Iran’s nuclear programme than many observers realised before hostilities erupted on February 28. The renewed violence, he said, has transformed what had been a fragile diplomatic opening into a broader regional crisis and a significant strategic setback.

The long-running dispute centers on Iran’s nuclear-energy programme, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes, and U.S. concerns that it could be used to develop nuclear weapons. In recent months, indirect talks had reportedly made substantive progress toward narrowing differences.

However, according to the report, military action launched on February 28 derailed the diplomatic track just hours after what were described as the most substantive negotiations to date. The collapse of the talks has since been followed by armed escalation.

Al-Busaidi urged U.S. allies to assume a mediating role and help steer Washington back toward diplomacy. He stressed that American policy should prioritise preventing nuclear proliferation, safeguarding energy stability, and expanding economic opportunities across the region.

He added that short-term military measures had overshadowed long-term diplomatic opportunities and warned that continued escalation risks deepening instability in the Middle East. Renewed dialogue, he said, would be essential to reducing tensions and restoring a constructive negotiating process between the United States, Iran and other regional actors.

By Sabina Mammadli