Top Iran, EU diplomats to hold nuclear talks
European foreign ministers will hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday, as President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of US involvement in the Iran-Israel war.
Israel, saying Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched a massive wave of strikes a week ago, triggering an immediate retaliation.
On the ground, Israel's military said it struck dozens of targets in Tehran overnight, including what it called a centre for the "research and development of Iran's nuclear weapons project".
In Israel, sirens sounded after missiles were launched from Iran, the army said, while police said they, emergency response teams and bomb disposal experts were operating "at the site of a projectile impact" in a southern city.
European leaders have urged de-escalation in Iran's war with Israel, while Trump has said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States in the fighting.
Israel, the United States and other Western powers accuse Iran of seeking an atomic weapon, a charge that it denies.
Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent -- far above the 3.67-percent limit set by a 2015 deal, but still short of the 90 percent needed for a nuclear warhead.
- 'A window now exists' -
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme.
He will also address the UN Human Rights Council, the body's spokesman said.
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution", while agreeing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon".
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the United States was both aware and supportive of the meeting taking place in Geneva.
"Iran should be mindful that it needs to show a new level of seriousness and trustworthiness if it wants to avoid a prolongation" of the war," he said.
France's foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said the diplomatic route would be the only way to ensure Iran respects its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
"Military solutions are not long-term solutions," he told French radio station Cnews.
Iran's Araghchi, however, rejected any prospect of talks with the United States so long as Israel continues its attacks.
"The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations. But we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue," he said.
- 'Speculation' -
The UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, which was requested by Iran with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.
Speaking to CNN, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi said that while Iran is the world's only non-declared nuclear power to enrich uranium to 60 percent, there was currently no evidence it had all the components to make a functioning nuclear warhead.
"So, saying how long it would take for them, it would be pure speculation because we do not know whether there was somebody, you know, secretly pursuing these activities," Grossi said.
"We haven't seen that and we have to say it."
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran was "a couple of weeks" away from producing an atomic bomb.
"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," Leavitt said.
Any US involvement in Israel's campaign would be expected to involve the bombing of a crucial underground nuclear facility in Fordo, using powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses.
- 'Collateral damage' -
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who supports the prospect of US involvement in the war, has sworn Iran will pay a "heavy price" after 40 people were wounded and several hospital wards destroyed in a missile attack.
World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called attacks on health facilities "appalling", while UN rights chief Volker Turk said civilians were being treated as "collateral damage".
In Iran, people fleeing Israel's attacks described frightening scenes and difficult living conditions, including food shortages and limited internet access.
"Those days and nights were very horrifying... hearing sirens, the wailing, the danger of being hit by missiles," University of Tehran student Mohammad Hassan told AFP, after returning to his native Pakistan.
"People are really panicking," a 50-year-old Iranian pharmacist who did not want to be named told AFP at a crossing on the border with Turkey.
- Nuclear sites -
On Thursday, Israel said it struck "dozens" of Iranian targets, including the partially built Arak nuclear reactor and a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.
Iranian atomic energy agency chief Mohammad Eslami confirmed in a letter to the UN nuclear watchdog that the Arak reactor was hit, demanding action to stop Israel's "violation of international regulations".
In the central Israeli city of Bat Yam, the body of a woman was found at a site hit on Sunday, taking the death toll in Israel from Iranian missiles since June 13 to 25 people, according to authorities.
Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
25 minutes ago
- ABC News
Trump says it's 'very hard' to ask Israel to stop Iran attacks
US President Donald Trump has played down the possibility of asking Israel to halt its attacks on Iran, as the two countries continue to trade missiles.
News.com.au
44 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Iran hit by earthquake amid conflict
Welcome to our live coverage of the escalating situation in the Middle East. Israel and Iran are continuing to intercept each other's drones with no end in sight to the conflict between the two nations. US President Donald Trump has said Iran has a 'maximum' two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes, indicating he could take a decision before the fortnight deadline he set a day earlier. Mr Trump told reporters that he was 'concerned' about the possibility of Iran launching attacks against Americans. 'We're always concerned about that, and we have to take them out and be very strong,' he said on Friday US time. 'You're even in danger, talking to me right now,' he told the reporter. Meanwhile, Iran was also hit by a 5.1-magnitude earthquake on Friday. While the quake 'shook' the nation, no casualties have been reported with only 'minimal damage'. Follow on for more updates.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
How Trump's presence ... and absence haunted the PM
Almost every world leader is haunted by the spectre of Donald Trump's tariff regime and unfortunately, Anthony Albanese is no exception. Despite this week whistling through three countries in six days, Australia's touring prime minister seemingly couldn't escape the presence of his US counterpart, whether it was real or as the proverbial elephant in the room. Everywhere Mr Albanese set foot, the subject of Mr Trump and import taxes - not to mention the eventual cancellation of trade talks between the two men - seeped into every crevice of his itinerary. At home, a face-to-face meeting for the PM with the so-called leader of the free world had been keenly anticipated since it became apparent the unpredictability of his presidency helped propel Labor to a landslide federal election win in May. So, when Mr Albanese revealed he'd been invited to this month's G7 summit in Canada and that Mr Trump was attending, expectations they would finally meet naturally peaked. The discussion would have been their first in-person encounter and no doubt presented a prime opportunity to negotiate a coveted tariff exemption. Mr Albanese's first stop en route to Calgary was in Fiji, where a local marching band welcomed him with a rendition of the Australian anthem. Soon after touching down and with the aim of blending in, he slipped into a teal island shirt and met with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. "Visiting Fiji so soon after the election is a deliberate decision to reinforce my government's Pacific priorities," he'd insisted upon departing Australia. But in the scheme of things, the audience in Nadi was pretty much a diplomatic warm-up to Mr Albanese's centrepiece meeting. Despite standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr Rabuka, he was asked by journalists almost exclusively about whether Mr Trump posed a threat to AUKUS, Australia's nuclear submarine deal with the US and United Kingdom. The only other issue mentioned was the Iran-Israel conflict, a matter in which the Republican president also holds significant sway. Rinse and repeat as Mr Albanese flew on to Seattle. There, he and Amazon Web Services CEO Matt Garman unveiled a multi-billion-dollar investment in Australian data centres from the company's state-of-the-art headquarters, comprised of three gleaming glass spheres that house more than 40,000 plants. However the event was quickly overshadowed, with Mr Albanese 20 minutes later rushing to no less confirm his much mooted meeting with The Donald. Mr Trump at this point was dominating the backdrop of Albo's trip too, as millions of protesting Americans raging against the 47th president on his 79th birthday dominated world headlines. The No Kings rallies were staged nationwide including, of course, on the local streets leading to Seattle's iconic Space Needle, which transformed into a sea of colour and noise. In the wake of this drama, Mr Albanese settled into a series of diplomatic talks on the sidelines of the Calgary summit, nestled in the foothills of the formidable Canadian Rockies. Surely such a geographical barrier would offer sanctuary from Australia's domestic obsession with things Trump but not quite. True, Mr Albanese might reasonably have expected some handy insights on dealing with the everywhere American president during the first of these bilateral meetings, with local counterpart Mark Carney. Canada's prime minister had recently came to office vowing to stand up to the US and though Mr Carney had maintained this stance in multiple subsequent meetings with Mr Trump, their discussions had generally been well received. Rather than keep this topic in-house during his own chat with Mr Carney, however, the subject of diplomacy between allies proceeded to spill into the public arena in a way that must have been impossible for Mr Albanese to ignore. Especially when the subject of bilateral trade and then certain trilateral submarine agreements was canvassed during a joint press conference at the summit between Mr Trump and Sir Keir Starmer. "It's a really important deal to both of us," the British PM declared, referring to AUKUS. "We're very long-time partners and allies and friends, and we've become friends in a short period of time," Mr Trump said. "He's slightly more liberal than I am ... but for some reason, we get along." Offering a final word, Mr Starmer added: "We make it work." And so it was that Australia's diplomatic affairs managed to capture international attention even in Mr Albanese's absence. Beyond his talks with Mr Carney, Australia's prime minister meanwhile tried hard to keep things on topic himself but the ghost of Mr Trump refused to stay away. With 24 hours to go until their scheduled sit down, the president suddenly announced his early departure from G7 so he could rush home to handle the escalating tensions in the Middle East. Mr Albanese promptly said this was "understandable" and with another four rounds of talks to go among other diplomatic events on his own agenda, the show would go on regardless of Mr Trump's emergency exit. But even in his absence, the US president remained. Many leaders, including Mr Albanese, found themselves continuing to reference the importance of the agenda which had solely been of Mr Trump's making: free and fair trade. Days after the summit wrapped up, little seemed to have changed either. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also had talks scheduled with Mr Trump the day after he left. However the two men had already previously faced Mr Trump, while Ms Sheinbaum received a phone call from him post his departure. Mr Albanese returned to Australia on Thursday without having spoken to the main man. He might have had another shot at the end of June, as he was considering attending the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in the Netherlands, but Mr Trump could just as easily make an early exit there too. Australia's exports to the US meanwhile continue to be hit with a baseline 10 per cent tariff and its steel and aluminium products incur a 50 per cent levy.
