Iran-Israel war enters day seven
In this episode of Global News Today, presented by Tom Burges Watson, we continue our coverage of the Iran-Israel war as it enters its seventh day.
Guests:
Jeffrey Feltman – Former US assistant secretary of state and former US ambassador
Elliott Abrams – Former US Special Envoy for Iran
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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
British FM says ‘window now exists' for diplomacy with Iran
WASHINGTON: On the eve of European talks with Iran over its nuclear program, Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday after meeting high-level US officials that there is still time to reach a diplomatic solution with Tehran. Lammy met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff at the White House, before talks on Friday in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi alongside his French, German and EU counterparts. The diplomatic flurry came as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear program — and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran. 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous,' Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy in Washington. 'We discussed how Iran must make a deal to avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,' Lammy said. 'Tomorrow, I will be heading to Geneva to meet with the Iranian foreign minister alongside my French, German and EU counterparts,' the British minister said. 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.' The State Department said Lammy and Rubio had 'agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.' Araghchi earlier confirmed he would 'meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,' in a statement carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA. The talks are set to include Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Trump has said he is weighing military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as Israel pummels the country and Tehran responds with missile fire. France, Germany, Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, which Trump sunk during his first term in office. The EU's Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path toward ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the Iran-Israel conflict. He asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with 'close partners' to that end. Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since Israel launched massive air strikes against Iran on Friday. 'We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs,' Barrot said. Israel says its air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the 3.67 percent limit set by a 2015 deal with international powers, but still short of the 90 percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons. del-ec-bc/sst/acb
Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
European, Iranian FMs to hold nuclear talks on Friday in Geneva
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany together with the EU's top diplomat will hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva on Friday, officials and diplomats said. The meeting comes as European countries call for de-escalation in the face of Israel's bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear program — and as US President Donald Trump weighs up whether or not to join the strikes against Tehran. 'We will meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday,' Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement carried by state news agency IRNA. European diplomats separately confirmed the planned talks, set to involve French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, as well as EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. Lammy was in Washington on Thursday, where he was due to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for talks focused on Iran, the State Department said. Trump has said he is weighing up military action against Iran's nuclear facilities as Israel pummels the country and Tehran responds with missile fire. Israel has killed several top Iranian officials in its strikes and Araghchi's adviser said that the minister was unfazed by fears he may be targeted next. 'Since it was announced that the Foreign Minister was heading to Geneva for negotiations with the European troika, I've received numerous messages expressing concern that the Zionist regime might target him,' Mohammad Hossein Ranjbaran said on X. But he insisted that Araghchi 'seeks martyrdom' and that 'a major Israeli plot against him' had already been foiled 'in Tehran just a few days ago.' France, Germany, Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran which Trump sunk during his first term in office. The EU's Kallas, in coordination with European countries, has insisted that diplomacy remains the best path toward ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb. On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that European nations were planning to suggest a negotiated solution to end the Iran-Israel conflict. He has asked his foreign minister to draw up an initiative with 'close partners' to that end. Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since Israel launched massive air strikes against Iran on Friday. Speaking in Paris after talks on the crisis on Thursday, Barrot said that the three nations 'stand ready to bring our competence and experience on this matter.' 'We are ready to take part in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting rollback of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs,' he added. The French top diplomat also underlined Iran's 'willingness to resume talks,' including with the United States 'on condition there is a ceasefire.' Israel says its air campaign is aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the 3.67-percent limit set by a 2015 deal with international powers, but still short of the 90-percent threshold needed for a nuclear warhead. Iran denies it is building nuclear weapons.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
Israel says Iran fired cluster bomb-bearing missile
Iran fired at least one missile at Israel that scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties, the Israeli military said on Thursday, the first reported use of cluster munitions in the seven-day-old war. Israeli military officials provided no further details. Israeli news reports quoted the Israeli military as saying the missile's warhead split open at an altitude of about 4 miles and released around 20 submunitions in a radius of around 5 miles over central Israel. One of the small munitions struck a home in the central Israeli town of Azor, causing some damage, Times of Israel military correspondent Emanuel Fabian reported. There were no reports of casualties from the bomb. Cluster bombs are controversial because they indiscriminately scatter submunitions, some of which can fail to explode and kill or injure long after a conflict ends. The Israeli military released a graphic as a public warning of the dangers of unexploded ordnance. 'The terror regime seeks to harm civilians and even used weapons with wide dispersal in order to maximize the scope of the damage,' Israel's military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, told a briefing. Iran's mission to the United Nations and Israel's embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 'They are egregious weapons with their wide-area destruction, especially if used in a civilian populated area and could add to the unexploded ordnance left over from conflicts,' said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association advocacy group. Noting that Iranian missiles can be imprecise, he said that Tehran should know that cluster munitions 'are going to hit civilian targets rather than military targets.' Iran and Israel declined to join a 2008 international ban on the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of cluster bombs that has been signed by 111 countries and 12 other entities. After extensive debate, the US in 2023 supplied Ukraine with cluster munitions for use against Russian occupation forces. Kyiv says Russian troops also have fired them. The three countries declined to join the Convention Against Cluster Munitions.
