Major university announces cuts to jobs and degrees
Macquarie University is set to axe more than 50 academic jobs in a proposed restructure that the Tertiary Education Union says will cut degrees in archaeology, music and ancient languages.
Staff were told via videoconference on Tuesday afternoon about the 'workforce realignment' proposal for the arts and science faculties, which the university says will save it $15 million a year. The plan is to cut course offerings with low enrolments so that the institution can focus on areas of demand.
The union says the arts faculty faces 42 job losses while the science and engineering faculty has 33 staff facing redundancies – a total of 75. University management quantified the figure as between 50 and 60.
Staff say the reduced academic offering poses a reputational risk to the university and follows years of belt-tightening, which led to larger class sizes.
Macquarie is the latest in a string of universities across NSW to retrench staff, with the University of Technology and Western Sydney University both planning to dump 400 employees. The University of Wollongong has plans to axe up to 270 positions.
The job cuts come as mid-tier universities brace for reduced income from the international student market after Education Minister Jason Clare instructed immigration bureaucrats to deliberately slow the processing of visa applications once an institution reaches 80 per cent of a designated enrolment cap.
The restructuring at Macquarie is part of a broader plan that its management says will bolster long-term sustainability.
'Universities in Western democracies are facing a range of external pressures and Australia is no exception. Accordingly, we are acting with a clear vision and a strong sense of responsibility to ensure our education and research remain relevant, impactful and sustainable,' vice chancellor Professor S. Bruce Dowton said.
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The Advertiser
16 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Israel and Iran trade fire as Europe's diplomacy stalls
Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. 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. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. 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. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. 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. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA Israel and Iran have traded further strikes a week into their war, as Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and key European ministers met with Iran's top diplomat in Geneva in a scramble to de-escalate the conflict. But the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials in the weeklong war concluded after four hours with no sign of an immediate breakthrough. To give diplomacy a chance, Trump said he would put off deciding for up to two weeks whether to join Israel's air campaign against Iran. Whether or not the US joins, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's military operation in Iran would continue "for as long as it takes" to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and arsenal of ballistic missiles. As negotiations ended in Switzerland, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations and Iran's top diplomat said he was open to further dialogue. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasised that Tehran had no interest in negotiating with the US while Israel continued attacking. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy if aggression ceases and the aggressor is held accountable for its committed crimes," he told reporters. Trump was dismissive of the Geneva talks saying Iran didn't want to speak to Europe. "They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this," Trump said. Those comments - however blunt - were not refuted by the Europeans. "Above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America be involved in these negotiations and in finding a solution," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said after the meeting. After Israeli warplanes hit dozens of military targets across Iran, including missile-manufacturing facilities, an Iranian missile crashed into Israel's northern city of Haifa, sending plumes of smoke billowing over the Mediterranean port and wounding at least 31 people. Israel's air attacks since its campaign began on June 13 have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a US-based human rights organisation. 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. Addressing an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned Israel against attacks on Iran's nuclear reactors, particularly its only commercial nuclear power plant in the southern city of Bushehr. "I want to make it absolutely and completely clear...a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity to the environment," said Rafael Grossi, chief of the UN nuclear watchdog. Israel has instead focused its strikes on the main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, centrifuge workshops near Tehran, laboratories in Isfahan and the country's Arak heavy water reactor southwest of the capital. Grossi has warned repeatedly that such sites should not be military targets. Iranian state media reported explosions from Israeli strikes in an industrial area of Rasht, along the coast of the Caspian Sea. Israel's military had warned the public to evacuate the area, but with Iran's internet shut off — now for more than 48 hours — it's unclear just how many people could see the message. Iran has insisted on its right to enrich uranium — albeit at lower levels — in recent talks over its nuclear program. But Trump, like Israel, has demanded Iran end its enrichment program altogether. Iran had previously agreed to limit its uranium enrichment and allow international inspectors access to its nuclear sites under a 2015 deal with the US, France, China, Russia, Britain and Germany in exchange for sanctions relief. But after Trump pulled the US unilaterally out of the deal during his first term, Iran began enriching uranium up to 60 per cent — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent — and restricting access to its nuclear facilities. with DPA
The Advertiser
19 hours ago
- The Advertiser
No breakthrough in European talks with Iranian diplomat
A meeting between Iran's foreign minister and top European diplomats yielded hopes of further talks but no immediate breakthrough, a week after war erupted between Israel and Tehran, over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. In a joint written statement issued after the talks ended, the three European nations and the EU said that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear program." They reiterated their concerns about the "expansion" of the nuclear program, adding that it has "no credible civilian purpose." In a separate statement, Lammy stressed that the aim of Europe and the US was that Iran should stop all uranium enrichment. He said that "there can be discussions about the energy needs of Iran" but added that "zero enrichment is the starting point." Lammy told British media outlets that there is "a window of within two weeks where we can see a diplomatic solution," and urged Iran "to take that off ramp." US President Donald Trump has given a time-frame of two weeks for a decision on whether the US will get involved in the conflict, on Israel's side. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." Barrot also said that European nations "invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes." The French Foreign Minister said Araghchi agreed "to put all the issues on the table including some that weren't there before" and "showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States." Araghchi addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for continuing discussions with the three European countries and the EU. He also denounced Israel's attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed "grave concern" over what he called "non-condemnation" by European nations. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes," and insisted that "we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. A meeting between Iran's foreign minister and top European diplomats yielded hopes of further talks but no immediate breakthrough, a week after war erupted between Israel and Tehran, over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. In a joint written statement issued after the talks ended, the three European nations and the EU said that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear program." They reiterated their concerns about the "expansion" of the nuclear program, adding that it has "no credible civilian purpose." In a separate statement, Lammy stressed that the aim of Europe and the US was that Iran should stop all uranium enrichment. He said that "there can be discussions about the energy needs of Iran" but added that "zero enrichment is the starting point." Lammy told British media outlets that there is "a window of within two weeks where we can see a diplomatic solution," and urged Iran "to take that off ramp." US President Donald Trump has given a time-frame of two weeks for a decision on whether the US will get involved in the conflict, on Israel's side. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." Barrot also said that European nations "invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes." The French Foreign Minister said Araghchi agreed "to put all the issues on the table including some that weren't there before" and "showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States." Araghchi addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for continuing discussions with the three European countries and the EU. He also denounced Israel's attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed "grave concern" over what he called "non-condemnation" by European nations. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes," and insisted that "we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. A meeting between Iran's foreign minister and top European diplomats yielded hopes of further talks but no immediate breakthrough, a week after war erupted between Israel and Tehran, over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. In a joint written statement issued after the talks ended, the three European nations and the EU said that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear program." They reiterated their concerns about the "expansion" of the nuclear program, adding that it has "no credible civilian purpose." In a separate statement, Lammy stressed that the aim of Europe and the US was that Iran should stop all uranium enrichment. He said that "there can be discussions about the energy needs of Iran" but added that "zero enrichment is the starting point." Lammy told British media outlets that there is "a window of within two weeks where we can see a diplomatic solution," and urged Iran "to take that off ramp." US President Donald Trump has given a time-frame of two weeks for a decision on whether the US will get involved in the conflict, on Israel's side. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." Barrot also said that European nations "invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes." The French Foreign Minister said Araghchi agreed "to put all the issues on the table including some that weren't there before" and "showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States." Araghchi addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for continuing discussions with the three European countries and the EU. He also denounced Israel's attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed "grave concern" over what he called "non-condemnation" by European nations. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes," and insisted that "we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. A meeting between Iran's foreign minister and top European diplomats yielded hopes of further talks but no immediate breakthrough, a week after war erupted between Israel and Tehran, over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. In a joint written statement issued after the talks ended, the three European nations and the EU said that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear program." They reiterated their concerns about the "expansion" of the nuclear program, adding that it has "no credible civilian purpose." In a separate statement, Lammy stressed that the aim of Europe and the US was that Iran should stop all uranium enrichment. He said that "there can be discussions about the energy needs of Iran" but added that "zero enrichment is the starting point." Lammy told British media outlets that there is "a window of within two weeks where we can see a diplomatic solution," and urged Iran "to take that off ramp." US President Donald Trump has given a time-frame of two weeks for a decision on whether the US will get involved in the conflict, on Israel's side. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." Barrot also said that European nations "invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes." The French Foreign Minister said Araghchi agreed "to put all the issues on the table including some that weren't there before" and "showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States." Araghchi addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for continuing discussions with the three European countries and the EU. He also denounced Israel's attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed "grave concern" over what he called "non-condemnation" by European nations. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes," and insisted that "we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
West Australian
21 hours ago
- West Australian
No breakthrough in European talks with Iranian diplomat
A meeting between Iran's foreign minister and top European diplomats yielded hopes of further talks but no immediate breakthrough, a week after war erupted between Israel and Tehran, over Iran's nuclear program. Foreign ministers from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's foreign policy chief, emerged from talks at a Geneva hotel about 3 1/2 hours after Iran's Abbas Araghchi arrived for the meeting. It was the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. In a joint written statement issued after the talks ended, the three European nations and the EU said that they "discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran's nuclear program." They reiterated their concerns about the "expansion" of the nuclear program, adding that it has "no credible civilian purpose." "The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is fundamentally ready to continue talking about all important issues," German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said, adding both sides had held "very serious talks." British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States." He added that "we were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon." In a separate statement, Lammy stressed that the aim of Europe and the US was that Iran should stop all uranium enrichment. He said that "there can be discussions about the energy needs of Iran" but added that "zero enrichment is the starting point." Lammy told British media outlets that there is "a window of within two weeks where we can see a diplomatic solution," and urged Iran "to take that off ramp." US President Donald Trump has given a time-frame of two weeks for a decision on whether the US will get involved in the conflict, on Israel's side. "Military operations can slow Iran's nuclear program but in no way can they eliminate it," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. "We know well -- after having seen what happened in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Libya — how illusory and dangerous it is to want to impose regime change from outside." Barrot also said that European nations "invited the Iranian minister to envisage negotiations with all parties including the United States, and without waiting for the end of the strikes." The French Foreign Minister said Araghchi agreed "to put all the issues on the table including some that weren't there before" and "showed his disposition to continuing the conversation — that we started today — and for the Europeans to help facilitate, including with the United States." Araghchi addressed reporters outside the meeting venue after the talks ended. He expressed support for continuing discussions with the three European countries and the EU. He also denounced Israel's attacks against nuclear facilities in Iran and expressed "grave concern" over what he called "non-condemnation" by European nations. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's program, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader has rejected US calls for surrender and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." Just before meeting the European diplomats, Araghchi made a brief appearance before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He said that Israel's "attacks on nuclear facilities are grave war crimes," and insisted that "we are entitled … and determined to defend our territorial integrity, national sovereignty and security with all force." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
