Europeans push for renewed diplomacy with Iran as Trump mulls military action

European foreign ministers are set to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday aiming to create a pathway back to diplomacy over its contested nuclear programme despite the US actively considering joining Israeli strikes against Iran.
Ministers from Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief spoke to Abbas Araqchi earlier this week and have been coordinating with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
In a rare call they pressed upon Araqchi the need to return to the negotiating table and avoid further escalation. At Iran's suggestion the two sides agreed to meet face-to-face.
The talks will be held in Geneva, where an initial accord between Iran and world powers to curb its nuclear programme in return for sanctions lifting was struck in 2013 before a comprehensive deal in 2015. They come after negotiations between Iran and the United States collapsed when Israel launched what it called Operation Rising Lion against Iran's nuclear facilities and ballistic capabilities on June 12.
04:47
"The Iranians can't sit down with the Americans whereas we can," said a European diplomat. "We will tell them to come back to the table to discuss the nuclear issue before the worst case scenario, while raising our concerns over its ballistic missiles, support to Russia and detention of our citizens."
The European powers, who were not part of Iran's nuclear negotiations with the United States, had grown increasingly frustrated by the US negotiating strategy in the talks. They deemed some of the demands unrealistic, while fearing the possibility of a weak initial political framework that would lead to open-ended negotiations.
Two diplomats said there were no great expectations for a breakthrough in Geneva, where the European Union's foreign policy chief will also attend.
But they said it was vital to engage with Iran because once the war stopped, Iran's nuclear programme would still remain unresolved given that it would be impossible to eradicate the know-how acquired, leaving it potentially able to clandestinely rebuild its programme.
An Iranian official said Tehran has always welcomed diplomacy, but urged the E3 to use all available means to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Iran.
"Iran remains committed to diplomacy as the only path to resolving disputes — but diplomacy is under attack," the official said.
45:34
Prior to Israel's strikes the E3 and US put forward a resolution that was approved by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN watchdog, which declared Iran in breach of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations.
As part of last week's IAEA resolution, European officials had said they could refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council later in the summer to add pressure on Iran if there was no progress in the nuclear talks.
That would be separate to them reimposing UN sanctions, known as the snapback mechanism, before October 18 when the 2015 accord expires.
The Europeans are the only ones who can launch the snapback mechanism, with diplomats saying the three countries had looked to set a final deadline at the end of August to launch it.
"Iran has repeatedly stated that triggering snapback will have serious consequences," the Iranian official said.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

LeMonde

14 minutes ago

• LeMonde

Israel army says struck weapons research center in Tehran

Israel's military said Friday, June 20, it struck dozens of targets in Tehran overnight, including what it called a center for the "research and development of Iran's nuclear weapons project," in the eighth day of war between the two foes. In a statement, the army said it had "completed a series of strikes in the heart of Tehran: dozens of targets were struck, including military missile production sites and the SPND (Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research) headquarters for research and development of Iran's nuclear weapons project." According to the Israeli military the SPND headquarters "is used for research and development of advanced technologies and weapons supporting the Iranian regime's military capabilities." The army said that during the night on Thursday more than 60 fighter jets struck dozens of military targets. "Among the targets were sites producing missile components and facilities manufacturing raw materials used in casting missile engines," it added. The military also said it intercepted overnight four UAVs launched from Iran. In a separate statement, the army said it had hit "three ready-to-launch missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory." Israel's defense minister Israel Katz also warned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah against entering the Iran-Israel war, after the Islamic republic's ally said it would act "as we see fit." "I suggest the Lebanese proxy be cautious and understand that Israel has lost patience with terrorists who threaten it," Katz said in a statement, adding that "if there is terrorism − there will be no Hezbollah." Israel, claiming that Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy a week ago, triggering deadly exchanges. European foreign ministers will hold talks Friday with their Iranian counterpart, hoping to reach a diplomatic solution to the war as US President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of US involvement.

France 24

16 minutes ago

• France 24

Crude sinks as Trump delays decision on Iran strike

Speculation had been swirling that Trump would throw his lot in with Israel, but on Thursday he said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States, giving diplomacy a shot to end the hostilities. While tensions are sky high amid fears of an escalation, the US president's remarks suggested the crisis could be prevented from spiralling into all-out war between the Middle East foes. Since Israel first hit Iran last Friday, the two have exchanged deadly strikes and apocalyptic warnings, though observers said the conflict has not seen a critical escalation. European foreign ministers were due to meet their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva. In a statement read out by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, the president said: "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks." Leavitt added: "If there's a chance for diplomacy the president's always going to grab it, but he's not afraid to use strength as well." Both main oil contracts were down around two percent Friday but uncertainty prevailed and traders remained nervous. "Crude still calls the shots, and volatility's the devil in the room -- and every trader on the street knows we're two headlines away from chaos," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. "Make no mistake: we're trading a geopolitical powder keg with a lit fuse. "President Trump's two-week 'thinking window' on whether to join Israel's war against Iran is no cooling-off period -- it's a ticking volatility clock." Stocks were mixed following a public holiday in New York, with Hong Kong, Taipei, Mumbai and Bangkok all up with London, Paris and Frankfurt. Seoul's Kospi led the gains, rising more than one percent to break 3,000 points for the first time in nearly three and a half years. The index has risen every day except one since the June 4 election of a new president, which ended months of political crisis and fuelled hopes for an economic rebound. Tokyo fell as Japanese core inflation accelerated, stoked by a doubling in the cost of rice, a hot topic issue that poses a threat to Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba ahead of elections next month. There were also losses in Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. The Middle East crisis continues to absorb most of the news but Trump's trade war remains a major obstacle for investors as the end of a 90-day pause on his April 2 tariff blitz approaches with few governments reaching deals to avert them being imposed. "While the worst of the tariffs have been paused, we suspect it won't be until those deadlines approach that new agreements may be finalised," said David Sekera, chief US market strategist at Morningstar. "Until then, as news emerges regarding the progress and substance of trade negotiations, these headlines could have an outsize positive or negative impact on markets." Key figures at around 0715 GMT Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 2.6 percent at $76.85 per barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.2 percent at 38,403.23 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.1 percent at 3,359.90 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.3 percent at 8,819.26 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1517 from $1.1463 on Thursday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3467 from $1.3429 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 145.38 yen from 145.63 yen Euro/pound: UP at 85.51 pence from 85.36 pence © 2025 AFP

Local France

36 minutes ago

• Local France

France finds cash for ‘strategic asset' satellite firm Eutelsat

'The race is on. That's why we have to take a position now and invest now. Otherwise, the whole market will be occupied and France and Europe will depend on other powers in future,' Macron's office told AFP. Part of an overall deal with other investors worth €1.35 billion, a new €717 million capital injection by the French state on Thursday will make Paris Eutelsat's largest shareholder, raising its stake from 13 percent to just under 30 percent – a threshold that would have required launching a full takeover bid. The announcement comes as competition heats up in the satellite communications sector, where Elon Musk's Starlink is a dominant player but some governments would prefer sovereign solutions. Boasting more than 600 satellites since merging with British firm OneWeb in 2023, Eutelsat is the world's second-largest operator of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, behind Starlink, making it the obvious candidate as a European champion. The company has in the past called itself 'the only LEO alternative to Starlink'. 'Eutelsat is a strategic asset contributing to European strategic autonomy,' French Finance Minister Eric Lombard's office said. But it remains far smaller than the American heavyweight, which has 6,000 satellites lofted into orbit by Musk's comparatively cheap, reusable SpaceX rockets. Set to be completed by the end of this year, the capital increase is 'a pivotal step in Eutelsat's strategic and financing roadmap, enabling the execution of its strategic vision,' it said. The money will fund a renewal of Eutelsat's satellite fleet and improve its financial situation, including through a debt restructuring. Eutelsat is also gearing up to contribute to the Iris² network of European satellites in multiple orbits, supposed to offer communication services from 2030. 'The war in Ukraine has shown the importance of space infrastructure for resilient communications infrastructure, whether civilian or military,' Lombard's office said. Advertisement 'It has also spotlighted Europe's dependence on non-European technology.' Musk has called Starlink the 'backbone' of the Ukrainian army because of its wide use defending against Russia's invasion since 2022 – and warned that 'their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off', sending Europeans scrambling for alternatives. Eutelsat had already this week signed a 10-year, billion-euro deal at the Paris Air Show to provide military communications for the French armed forces. And presenting its latest quarterly results last month, the firm said it was in active sales talks with governments both inside and outside Europe. Major shareholders stumping up money alongside Paris are shipping giant CMA CGM, Indian telecoms operator Bharti Airtel and the FSP investment fund, owned by seven French insurance companies. The two-stage plan includes a 'reserved' capital increase open only to the four named investors, with a second round open to others. 'Discussions are ongoing' with other investors including the British government, 'which could join the capital raise in due course,' Eutelsat said. Advertisement