• Iran’s Larijani discusses US talks during Oman visit.
• Iran slams Israel for sabotaging regional diplomatic efforts.
• Tehran and Washington resumed talks in Muscat after months.

Iran’s top security official met the Sultan of Oman in Muscat on Tuesday, days after a first round of talks there between officials from Washington and Tehran last Friday.

Ali Larijani, who heads the Supreme National Security Council, and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq “discussed the latest developments in the Iranian-American negotiations”, the official Oman News Agency said.

Larijani also met Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who mediated Friday’s indirect talks between US and Iranian officials, according to photos shared on Larijani’s official Telegram channel.

Larijani and Sultan Haitham also explored “ways to reach a balanced and just agreement between the two sides, and emphasised the importance of returning to the table of dialogue and negotiation”.

During his trip to Muscat, Larijani also met Mohammad Abdulsalam, the spokesperson for Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels.

Larijani will head to Qatar next, according to Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.

The trip comes after Iran and the United States resumed negotiations in Oman on Friday for the first time since the 12-day Iran-Israel war last June, which was briefly joined by the US military.

Meanwhile, Iran warned Tuesday of “destructive” influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington for talks expected to focus on US negotiations with Tehran.

“Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

“The Zionist regime has repeatedly, as a saboteur, shown that it opposes any diplomatic process in our region that leads to peace.”

• Iran slams Israel for sabotaging regional diplomatic efforts.
• Tehran and Washington resumed talks in Muscat after months.
• Previous negotiations collapsed after Israel-Iran conflict.

TEHRAN: Iran warned Tuesday of “destructive” influence on diplomacy ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington for talks expected to focus on US negotiations with Tehran.

“Our negotiating party is America. It is up to America to decide to act independently of the pressures and destructive influences that are detrimental to the region,” said Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

“The Zionist regime has repeatedly, as a saboteur, shown that it opposes any diplomatic process in our region that leads to peace.”

Tehran and Washington resumed talks in Muscat on Friday, months after earlier negotiations collapsed following Israel’s unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran last June, which triggered a 12-day war.

During the conflict, Israel targeted senior Iranian military officials, nuclear scientists, and nuclear sites, as well as residential areas.

The United States later joined the campaign, launching its own strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel and by targeting the largest US military base in the Middle East, located in Qatar.

“The June experience was a very bad experience. Therefore, taking these experiences into account, we are determined to secure Iran’s national interests through diplomacy,” Baqaei said.

He insisted that Iran’s focus would remain strictly on the nuclear file in return for sanctions relief.

Tehran has repeatedly said it rejects any negotiations that extend beyond that issue.

On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the Israeli premier “believes any negotiations must include limitations on ballistic missiles.”

The talks followed threats from Washington and the deployment of a US aircraft carrier group to the region after anti-government protests in Iran last month.

Iranian authorities said the protests, which erupted in late December over the rising cost of living, began as peaceful demonstrations before turning into “riots” involving killings and vandalism, which they said were inflamed by the United States and Israel.

BANGKOK: Planned or under-construction solar and wind projects slowed last year, analysis showed Tuesday, casting doubts on whether countries will hit a goal of tripling renewable capacity by decade-end.

Dozens of nations agreed in 2023 to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030 as part of efforts to limit global warming.

But announcements and construction starts of new wind and solar projects grew 11% in 2025 — down from 22% in the previous year, as wind development projects faced hurdles, Global Energy Monitor (GEM) said.

“Wind developers experienced political barriers and a streak of failed wind power auctions in wealthy nations,” GEM research analyst Diren Kocakusak said.

US President Donald Trump has blocked wind projects, and made no secret of his antipathy towards renewables, though the global slump was not attributable to any one country, Kocakusak said.

GEM’s research also found that just a small fraction of wind and solar growth came from rich G7 countries, with the “centre of gravity” now shifting “decisively toward emerging and developing economies.”

As has been the case for years, China is expanding renewable capacity on a scale unmatched elsewhere.

It accounted for around a third of global capacity growth in 2025 — 1.5 terawatts — more than growth in the next six countries combined.

But that was not enough to set the world on track to meet the 2030 goal.

‘Disappointing developments’

Even if all the projects currently announced and under-construction proceed, the world would still fall short.

GEM’s research has found almost 40% of planned projects begin operations after their announced start date, or are put on hold or scrapped.

However, Kocakusak said that did not mean the goal was out of reach.

“Momentum appears to be slowing, but that’s not due to a lack of potential,” he told AFP.

There is still “enough time” for countries to ramp up capacity, and solar projects that have not yet been announced could be completed before 2030, he said. Wind projects can take longer to get up and running.

More than 3.5 terawatts of wind and solar projects have also been announced without a confirmed start date, and could help meet the 2030 goal if they come online quickly enough.

Some wealthy countries are supporting renewable growth, with Japan seeking to revise wind auction guidelines and Britain boosting investment.

These policies sit alongside “disappointing developments”, though, like reports Germany may limit grid priority for renewables, Kocakusak said.

“Whether the 2030 tripling target is achieved will depend on the level of commitment and implementation from countries and developers,” he said.