The talks come amid rising tensions following Israel’s series of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites last week, which left at least 639 people dead in Iran, including 263 civilians
By Afolabi Ayodele
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his counterparts from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union in Geneva on Friday in a bid to prevent further escalation in the ongoing conflict with Israel.
The talks come amid rising tensions following Israel’s series of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites last week, which left at least 639 people dead in Iran, including 263 civilians.
More than 1,300 others were injured, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists group. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes that killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds in Israel.
Araghchi confirmed the Geneva meeting through Iran’s state news agency IRNA. European officials also verified that French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will attend.
French President Emmanuel Macron has backed the initiative, urging his foreign minister to work with close allies to develop a diplomatic solution. Speaking in Paris, Barrot said the E3 nations are ready to contribute their “competence and experience” towards negotiations aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Lammy, who is coming from Washington after meeting with US officials, said: “We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon … A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.”
The renewed diplomatic push follows US President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday that he would decide within two weeks whether to order a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Trump said negotiations could resume soon but warned of possible military intervention if progress stalls.
Despite escalating violence, Iran has not ruled out diplomacy. Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reported from Tehran that while Iranian officials refuse to negotiate under fire, they have not closed the door to future talks.
“They’re saying they won’t negotiate while Israeli strikes continue, but they’re also signalling that diplomacy is not off the table,” Asadi said.
Milena Veselinovic, reporting from Geneva, described the meeting as a “massive diplomatic push” to pull the region back from the brink.
Meanwhile, Israel maintains its attacks are preemptive, aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran denies pursuing nuclear arms, insisting its programme is peaceful. The International Atomic Energy Agency has stated there is no evidence Iran is building a bomb.
This meeting marks the first direct talks between Iran and the E3 since Israel launched Operation Rising Lion on June 12, targeting Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure. The Geneva venue is symbolic, as it hosted the original 2013 accord between Iran and world powers that led to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have worsened since Trump unilaterally withdrew the US from the 2015 nuclear agreement in 2018. Recent efforts to revive the deal were suspended following the Israeli strikes.
As the conflict threatens to engulf the region, European leaders hope this meeting can open a path back to negotiations and halt further bloodshed.
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