On Friday, foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany will meet with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva. This marks the most important diplomatic discussions between Tehran and Western nations since Israel initiated a surprise offensive against Iran a week ago. The meeting revives the "E3", a diplomatic coalition of the UK, France, and Germany that previously led negotiations with Iran in the early 2000s and played a key role in brokering the 2015 nuclear agreement during President Obama's administration.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation as "perilous" following his meeting on Thursday with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff. "There is now a two-week window to pursue a diplomatic solution," Lammy stated, referring to President Trump's announcement that he would decide by early July whether the U.S. would take military action against Iran. Trump's remarks, which were read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Levitt on Thursday, eased concerns that the U.S. was preparing to support Israel by targeting an Iranian nuclear facility.
Lammy, along with his French and German counterparts, is calling on Iran to re-engage in nuclear negotiations. However, Iran has expressed its reluctance to do so while facing ongoing attacks.
"We do not wish to negotiate with anyone while the aggression of the Zionist regime persists," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated during a televised address on Friday. He accused the U.S. of complicity in Israeli strikes, referencing social media posts from Trump earlier this week that suggested the U.S. had some control over Iran's airspace.
"The demand for an end to this war has already begun," Araghchi continued. "This demonstrates the effectiveness of the Iranian people's resistance, both now and in the future."
In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended the country's neutral position during a national television appearance on Thursday, stating that "France always upholds international law" and "has not engaged in any preventive war." He also mentioned that there are still 1,000 French citizens in Iran.
Meanwhile, Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul expressed that Berlin is open to further discussions with Iran, provided there is a "serious willingness" from Tehran to offer assurances regarding its nuclear and missile programs. According to Wadephul, these assurances would involve Iran halting the enrichment of nuclear material that could lead to weaponization and also reducing its missile program.
Overnight into Friday, Israel and Iran exchanged further strikes, with the Israeli military reporting that it targeted numerous Iranian military sites in and around Tehran and western Iran. In Israel, at least five individuals were injured when an Iranian missile hit a residential building in Be'er Sheva, a city in the south. This attack followed closely on the heels of another missile strike that impacted Soroka Medical Centre, the largest hospital in southern Israel.
Since the onset of the conflict, Iranian missile and drone strikes have resulted in at least 24 fatalities and hundreds of injuries, according to the Israeli prime minister's office. In response, Israeli strikes on Iran have reportedly led to over 200 deaths, as stated by Iran's Health Ministry. However, an independent organization, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, claims to have documented 657 deaths in Iran based on information from nongovernmental sources.
