The Foreign Ministers of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany are meeting this Friday in Geneva with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghtchi, to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Israel. European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas is expected to join the meeting, coordinated with the United States, which, however, will not directly participate in the negotiations.
"There is no room to negotiate with the United States until the Israeli army stops its aggression," warned Abbas Araghtchi on Iranian television. According to The Times of Israel, Araghtchi has nevertheless had informal contacts with US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in the past week.
The Iranian Foreign Minister has, however, had an open line with European governments, including a call during the G7 summit in Canada to explore a ceasefire proposal and a return to the nuclear negotiating table.
"Iran remains committed to diplomacy," wrote Araghchi on social media, justifying his country's military response as "the exercise of self-defense." "Iran has proven with its actions what we have committed to: we have never sought nor will we pursue the atomic bomb."
The meeting in Geneva has been mainly driven by President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who on Thursday expressed his "readiness" for the meeting. "It is urgent to end these military operations, which represent serious threats to regional security," Macron emphasized after a meeting with his Defense Council upon returning from the G7 summit.
The Canada summit was marked by Donald Trump's "walkout" and his disagreement with the French president ("Emmanuel is always wrong"). Trump distanced himself from attempts to negotiate a ceasefire and hinted at US involvement in the conflict with a series of threatening messages on his Truth Social network, issuing an ultimatum to Iran: "Total Surrender!" On Thursday, he announced that it will take two weeks before making a final decision.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy acted as an intermediary with the Trump Administration regarding the new European diplomatic initiative. Lammy met on Thursday in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and warned that "the time has come to end the serious scenes in the Middle East to prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one." "We now have a two-week window to find a peaceful solution," Lammy added.