Israel-Iran conflict: European diplomatic efforts in Geneva struggle to prevent escalation

Nearly four hours of intense closed-door talks were not enough to sway Iran, despite its current dire straits. In the plush rooms of Geneva's Intercontinental Hotel on Friday, June 20, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, along with his British and Germans counterparts, David Lammy and Johann Wadephul, as well as Kaja Kallas, the European Union's high representative for foreign affairs, only managed to "sketch out," in Barrot's words, "a diplomatic solution" with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi. "All the participants expressed their willingness to continue the discussions," the French minister said after the talks. When? That remains undetermined.
The Iranian minister did not make an appearance alongside the Europeans later in the afternoon, saying in a statement he was concerned by "the three countries' inaction in condemning the acts of aggression by the Zionist regime." Iran has demanded that a ceasefire come into force before any talks can begin. "Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again and once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed," Araghchi said, as rumors swirled that parallel negotiations were being conducted, through Qatari mediation, between Iran and Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff. "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," Trump said just hours after the Geneva meeting, further undermining the European diplomatic initiative.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Euronews

an hour ago

• Euronews

US deploys B-2 bombers as Trump plans to meet national security team

Multiple US B-2 bombers appeared to be airborne and heading west from the US on Saturday as US President Donald Trump weighs military involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. The US leader was set to meet with his national security team on Saturday evening. He previously said he would put off a decision on US involvement in the conflict for up to two weeks. B-2 bombers are the only aircraft that carry the larger "bunker buster" bombs. It was not clear whether the planes being escorted on Saturday were prepared for an operation or moving to airbases closer to Iran as a show of force. Aside from an on-the-ground raid or even a nuclear strike, Iran's underground Fordo uranium enrichment facility is considered out of reach to all but American bunker-buster bombs. According to the US Air Force, only the US has configured and programmed its B-2 aircraft to deliver the bomb. While these planes are normally stationed in Missouri, on Saturday multiple aerial refuelling tankers were spotted on commercial flight trackers flying patterns consistent with escorting aircraft from the central US to the Pacific. The White House did not respond to requests for comment, but Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said US military involvement 'would be very, very dangerous for everyone.' He said Iran was open to further dialogue, but not while Israel continues its attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel's military operation will continue 'for as long as it takes' to eliminate what he called the existential threat of Iran's nuclear program and ballistic missile arsenal. Iran's Revolutionary Guard announced the launch of drones towards Israel on Saturday evening in the latest wave of attacks as fighting entered the 10th day. Iranian media said Israel launched strikes on the southern city of Shiraz, which hosts military bases.

France 24

2 hours ago

• France 24

Israel says it has killed three more Iranian commanders as war drags into second week

Israel said Saturday it had killed three more Iranian commanders in its unprecedented bombing campaign against the Islamic Republic, which Foreign Minister Gideon Saar claimed had delayed Tehran's alleged progress towards a nuclear weapon by two years. Israel's military said a strike in Qom south of Tehran successfully targeted top Iranian official Saeed Izadi, in charge of coordination with Palestinian militant group Hamas, adding two other commanders from Iran 's Revolutionary Guards were also killed overnight. The Revolutionary Guards said five of its members died in attacks on Khorramabad, according to Iranian media. They did not mention Izadi, who was on US and British sanctions lists, but said Israel had also attacked a building in Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. As Israel continued to strike Iran's nuclear facilities and military targets, Saar said in an interview that by his country's own assessment, it had "already delayed for at least two or three years the possibility for them to have a nuclear bomb". "We will do everything that we can do there in order to remove this threat," Saar told German newspaper Bild, asserting Israel's onslaught would continue. 02:49 Israel and Iran have traded wave after wave of devastating strikes since Israel launched its aerial campaign on June 13, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon – an accusation the Islamic Republic has denied. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi has said Iran is the only country without nuclear weapons to enrich uranium to 60 percent. But he added that there was no evidence Tehran had all the components to make a functioning nuclear warhead. Grossi told CNN it was "pure speculation" to say how long it would take Iran to develop weapons. Israel said it had attacked Iran's Isfahan nuclear site for a second time after its air force announced it had also launched salvos against missile storage and launch sites in the centre of the country. The army later said it was striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran. US President Donald Trump warned on Friday that Tehran had a "maximum" of two weeks to avoid possible American air strikes, as Washington weighs whether to join Israel's campaign. 'Not prepared to negotiate' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday for a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to discuss the conflict. Top diplomats from Britain, France and Germany met Araghchi in Geneva on Friday, and urged him to resume talks with the United States that had been derailed by Israel's attacks. But Araghchi told NBC News after the meeting that "we're not prepared to negotiate with them (the United States) anymore, as long as the aggression continues". Trump, dismissive of European diplomatic efforts, also said he was unlikely to ask Israel to stop its attacks to get Iran back to the table. "If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do," he said. Iran: Israel strikes key nuclear site of Isfahan, authorities report no hazardous leak 01:33 Any US involvement would likely feature powerful bunker-busting bombs that no other country possesses to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordo. A US-based NGO, the Human Rights Activists News Agency, said on Friday that based on its sources and media reports at least 657 people have been killed in Iran, including 263 civilians. Iran's health ministry on Saturday gave a toll of more than 400 people killed and 3,056 in the Israeli strikes. Nasrin, 39, who was receiving treatment at Hazrat Rasool hospital in Tehran and who gave only her first name, said she had been thrown across a room in her home by an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital "I just hit the wall. I don't know how long I was unconscious. When I woke up, I was covered in blood from head to toe," she told AFP from her hospital bed. Iran's retaliatory strikes have killed at least 25 people in Israel, according to official figures. Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate said more than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they have targeted military sites and air force bases.

LeMonde

2 hours ago

• LeMonde

Iran's civilians are terrorized by the attacks: 'Israel strikes everywhere, at any hour'

Since the night of June 13, Sanam (who requested to have her name changed) has not slept. Around 3 am, the tower in northern Tehran where Ali Shamkhani, a close adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, lived was hit by an Israeli attack. "At first, I thought it was a thunderclap, but I soon saw objects in the sky. A few seconds later, a huge explosion rang out," said Sanam, 30, an IT specialist whom Le Monde contacted via WhatsApp. Since then, she has had many sleepless nights, staying awake restlessly watching the news and constantly scanning the sky, "because Israel strikes hard at night." Since June 13, 2025, Israel has been carrying out strikes on Iranian military and strategic infrastructure. These attacks have, however, also caused significant civilian casualties. Two hospitals were hit, one in the western city of Kermanshah and another in Tehran. On the night of June 19 to 20, Sanam, in a panic, called her friends who had left Tehran for the northern city of Rasht after they saw the Israeli military post an evacuation order for the city on X. "I told them to take shelter. They didn't have internet, but I had a little [service]," she explained. An hour later, five projectiles struck the Sefid Rud industrial complex in Rasht. Her friends described the sky turning as bright as day from the explosion. Then they saw planes heading toward Tehran. Minutes later, Sanam's apartment shook. "The Israelis struck the Nobonyad and Lavizan neighborhoods, not far from my house," said Sanam, who has sheltered in the basement every time she heard a threatening noise. The strikes continued through Friday night into Saturday, intensifying further in Tehran, Rasht, and Isfahan.