Iran says no nuclear talks while under Israeli fire as Trump considers options
Iran said on Friday it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations and the United States considers whether to get involved in the conflict.
A week after it began attacking Iran, Israel's military said it had carried out new strikes on dozens of military targets overnight, including missile production sites and a research organisation involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran.
Iran launched at least one new barrage of missiles early on Friday, striking near residential apartments, office buildings and industrial facilities in the southern city of Beersheba.
The White House said on Thursday that US president Donald Trump would decide on "whether or not to go" with US involvement in the conflict in the next two weeks, citing the possibility of negotiations involving Iran in the near future.
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday there was no room for negotiations with Israel's superpower ally the United States "until Israeli aggression stops".
But he was due to meet European foreign ministers in Geneva later on Friday for talks at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy over Iran's nuclear programme.
Two diplomats said before the meeting involving France, Britain, Germany and the European Union's foreign policy chief that Araqchi would be told the US is still open to direct talks. Expectations for a breakthrough are low, diplomats say.
Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons.
Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel.
Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this.
Israeli air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran.
The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists.
Read More
Trump sets deadline of two weeks to decide if US will join Israel's war on Iran
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
Iran and Israel have exchanged fresh attacks, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive. Shortly after 2:30 am in Israel, the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel's air defence systems responded. At the same time, Israel launched a new wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran, the Israeli military said. Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts. There were no initial reports of casualties. The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted missile. Israel began attacking Iran over a week ago, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. The dead include the military's top echelon and nuclear scientists. In Israel, 24 civilians have been killed in Iranian missile attacks, according to authorities. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. Talks show little progress Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan area of around four million people and the country's business and economic hub, where some critical military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the US "until Israeli aggression stops". But he arrived in Geneva yesterday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. US President Donald Trump reiterated that he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time "to see whether or not people come to their senses", he said. Mr Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. "I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens," he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Mr Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. "Iran doesn't want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this one," Mr Trump said. Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a US State Department cable seen by journalists. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council his country would not stop its attacks "until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled". Iran's UN envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said his country was alarmed by reports that the US might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, "especially now under Israel's strikes".
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Sam Kiley: Netanyahu fears peace now would risk Tehran getting nuclear weapons in future
As Trump plays for time, Israel is banking on regime change in Iran ©UK Independent Today at 21:30 Britain, France, Germany and the European Union all rushed their foreign ministers to Geneva for talks with Iran in a desperate attempt to give peace a chance. But it is not clear that peace now is the best option. A week into Israel's bombardment of Iran, and its assassination of the country's top nuclear scientists and securocrats, the Islamic state has tightened its grip – and the nuclear facilities nearly a kilometre underground in Fordow remain intact.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Why Russia's imperial past shapes its present and haunts its neighbours
Unfinished Empire by DCU professor Donnacha Ó Beacháin gets to the heart of how the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 was not so much an end to empire as a temporary retreat Today at 21:30 These days, empires rarely admit they are empires. They speak of civilisation, of security, of shared history – all while projecting power and extracting obedience. Most European empires disintegrated in the second half of the 20th century, and European nations quickly discarded much, if not quite all, of the imperialist mindset. For the lands of eastern Europe and central Asia that had once submitted to Russian rule, however, the process only began in the 1990s with the collapse of the Soviet Union – and the past has never quite passed. It lingers in language and pipelines, monuments and missiles. Donnacha Ó Beacháin's Unfinished Empire explores how Russia's imperial past continues to shape its present and haunt its neighbours.
