GENEVA, Switzerland. A high-stakes meeting on Friday between Iran’s foreign minister and top European diplomats ended with hopes of continued nuclear discussions but no concrete progress, as war between Iran and Israel continued to escalate.
Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, along with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at a Geneva hotel. The roughly three-and-a-half-hour session marked the first face-to-face engagement between Iranian and Western officials since the current conflict began a week ago.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the European representatives said they discussed “avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran’s nuclear program,” while reiterating concerns about the program’s expansion, stating it has “no credible civilian purpose.”
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said both sides engaged in “very serious talks” and that Iran appeared “fundamentally ready to continue talking about all important issues.”
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy echoed that sentiment, calling for Iran to keep open lines of communication with both Europe and the United States. “We were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Lammy said, stressing that any future discussions must lead to “zero enrichment” of uranium in Iran.
In a separate statement to British media, Lammy said there was a two-week diplomatic window to find a solution and urged Iran to “take that off ramp.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also reinforced that position, stating earlier on Friday that diplomacy, not military action, must be prioritized. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot noted that “military operations can slow Iran’s nuclear program, but they cannot eliminate it.”
Barrot added that European nations had encouraged Araghchi to engage in talks with all parties, including the United States, without waiting for the end of ongoing military strikes. According to Barrot, Araghchi agreed to discuss “all issues on the table,” including some previously excluded topics, and showed readiness to continue diplomatic conversations.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas confirmed that future discussions will cover both nuclear and broader regional concerns. “We agreed to keep the discussions open,” she said.
Araghchi, speaking to reporters after the meeting, supported further talks with European countries and the EU. However, he strongly criticized Israel’s attacks on Iranian nuclear sites and expressed concern over Europe’s failure to condemn them. He said Iran was not open to negotiating with the U.S., which he accused of complicity in Israeli military actions.
Before the meeting, Araghchi told Iranian state media that while Iran was open to “dialogue,” it was not seeking formal negotiations under current conditions. He also ruled out discussing Iran’s missile program, saying the talks would focus only on nuclear and regional matters.
Shortly before Friday’s session, Araghchi appeared before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, where he called Israel’s attacks on nuclear facilities “grave war crimes,” and insisted that Iran would defend its sovereignty “with all force.”
Tensions have soared since Israel began launching strikes on Iranian targets to prevent what it claims is Tehran’s progress toward building a nuclear weapon. Iran, which enriches uranium up to 60% purity, just short of weapons-grade, has long insisted its program is for peaceful purposes.
The three European countries were key players in negotiating the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. While the U.S. withdrew from the accord in 2018, Europe has continued to pressure Iran to comply with U.N. nuclear oversight and has threatened to reinstate sanctions if it fails to do so.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing potential military action, including a possible strike on Iran’s Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried deep underground. Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether to pursue a military path or give negotiations another chance.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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