European powers urge Iran to continue US nuclear talks
GENEVA: European powers on Friday urged Iran to continue diplomacy with the United States to find a solution in the standoff over its nuclear programme as Israel keeps up its bombardment of the Islamic republic.
'The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is ready to further discuss all the important questions,' said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in a statement alongside his British, French and EU counterparts after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
'It is of great importance that the United States takes part in these negotiations and the solution,' he added.
The statement read by all four top diplomats in their native languages after the talks expressed hope of further progress but did not make any mention of a breakthrough in the talks in Geneva.
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.'
'This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don't see regional escalation of this conflict,' he added.
Iran says no nuclear talks under Israeli fire, Trump considers options
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there 'can be no definitive solution through military means to the Iran nuclear problem. Military operations can delay it but they cannot eliminate it'.
After Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Barrot also warned: 'It is illusory and dangerous to want to impose a regime change from the outside. It is up to the people to decide their own destiny.'
'We invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for,' he said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said for her part: 'Today the regional escalation benefits no-one. We must keep the discussions open.'
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said earlier the Iranian delegation 'emphasised that Iran has not left the negotiating table'.
Israel began its campaign on Friday last week saying the operation was aimed at halting Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, an ambition Iran denies having.
Iranian strikes launched in response have also caused damage in Israel.
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Express Tribune
32 minutes ago
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US judge orders release of pro-Palestinian activist Khalil
Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil speaks to media after being released from immigration custody in Jena, Louisiana, U.S. June 20, 2025. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil walked out of a Louisiana immigrant detention center on Friday, hours after a judge ordered his release, a major victory for rights groups that challenged what they called the Trump administration's unlawful targeting of a pro-Palestinian activist. "Although justice prevailed," he said upon his release in the rural town of Jena, "it's long, very long overdue. And this shouldn't have taken three months." On March 8 Khalil, a prominent figure in pro-Palestinian protests against Israel's war in Gaza, was arrested by immigration agents in the lobby of his university residence in Manhattan. President Donald Trump, a Republican, has called the protests antisemitic and vowed to deport foreign students who took part. Khalil became the first target of this policy. After more than three months unjustly detained by the Trump administration, Mahmoud Khalil is finally free. He can go home, hug his wife, and hold his baby. He never should've been detained. As we celebrate his release, we will never stop working to defend human rights --… — Amnesty International USA (@amnestyusa) June 21, 2025 Protesters, including some Jewish groups, say the government wrongly conflates their criticism of Israeli actions in Gaza with antisemitism and their advocacy for Palestinian rights with support for extremism. After hearing oral arguments from lawyers for Khalil and the Department of Homeland Security, US District Judge Michael Farbiarz of Newark, New Jersey, ordered DHS to release him from custody at a jail for immigrants in rural Louisiana by 6:30 p.m. (2330 GMT) on Friday. Farbiarz said the government had made no attempt to rebut evidence provided by Khalil's lawyers that he was not a flight risk or a danger to the public. "There is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner," Farbiarz said, referring to Khalil as he ruled from the bench, adding that punishing someone over a civil immigration matter was unconstitutional. Khalil is the latest in a string of foreign pro-Palestinian students arrested in the US since in March who have subsequently been released by judges. They include Mohsen Mahdawi and Rumeysya Ozturk. A legal permanent resident of the US, Khalil says he is being punished for his political speech, in violation of the Constitution's First Amendment. Khalil condemned antisemitism and racism in interviews with CNN and other news outlets last year. 'No one is illegal' Noor Zafar, senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which supported the activist, said: "Today's ruling underscores a vital First Amendment principle: The government cannot abuse immigration law to punish speech it disfavors." The Syrian-born activist plans to return to New York to be with his wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, and their infant son, who was born during Khalil's 104 days in detention. "This ruling does not begin to address the injustices the Trump administration has brought upon our family, and so many others," Abdalla said in a statement. Mahmoud Khalil is free. May his release lead to the release of all who are detained and incarcerated from the US to Palestine, in ICE facilities and in prisons. And may his courage inspire us to remain steadfast in fighting for Palestinian liberation. — Jewish Voice for Peace (@jvplive) June 21, 2025 "Today we are celebrating Mahmoud coming back to New York to be reunited with our little family and the community that has supported us since the day he was unjustly taken for speaking out for Palestinian freedom." The White House condemned the decision to release Khalil, saying he should be deported for "conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests" and fraudulently obtaining a student visa. "There is no basis for a local federal judge in New Jersey —who lacks jurisdiction — to order Khalil's release from a detention facility in Louisiana," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. "We expect to be vindicated on appeal." The immigration proceedings against Khalil continue. Khalil, wearing a keffiyeh and raising his right fist as he approached journalists outside the detention center, condemned what he called the Trump administration's racist immigration policies. He said he was leaving behind hundreds of men housed at the detention center who should not be there. "The Trump administration are doing their best to dehumanize everyone here," he said outside the gates of the facility. "No one is illegal, no human is illegal." Khalil said that his time in detention had changed him. "Once you enter there, you see a different reality," he said. "A different reality about this country that supposedly champions human rights and liberty and justice." Separate charge The Louisiana immigration judge in his case had denied his asylum request on Friday, ruling he could be deported based on the government's allegations of immigration fraud, and denied a bail hearing. Farbiarz's decision rendered the bail request moot. Like others facing deportation, Khalil has avenues to appeal within the immigration system. Farbiarz is also considering Khalil's challenge of his deportation on constitutional grounds, and has blocked officials from deporting Khalil while that challenge plays out. Earlier this month, Farbiarz ruled the government was violating Khalil's free speech rights by detaining him under a little-used law granting the US secretary of state power to seek deportation of non-citizens whose presence in the country was deemed adverse to US foreign policy interests. On June 13, the judge declined to order Khalil's release from a detention center in Jena after Trump's administration said Khalil was being held on a separate charge that he withheld information from his application for permanent residency. Khalil's lawyers deny that allegation and say people are rarely detained on such charges. On June 16, they urged Farbiarz to grant a separate request from their client to be released on bail or be transferred to immigration detention in New Jersey to be closer to his family in New York. At Friday's hearing, Farbiarz said it was "highly unusual" for the government to jail an immigrant accused of omissions in his application for permanent residency. Khalil, 30, became a US permanent resident last year, and his wife and newborn son are US citizens. Trump administration lawyers wrote in a filing on Tuesday that Khalil's request for release should be addressed to the judge overseeing his immigration case, an administrative process over whether he can be deported, rather than to Farbiarz, who is considering whether Khalil's March 8 arrest and subsequent detention were constitutional. Reporting by Jonathan Allen and Luc Cohen in New York; Additional reporting by Kathleen Flynn in Jena, and Andrew Hay and Kanishka Singh, Angela Christy; Editing by Nick Zieminski, David Gregorio and William Mallard
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Iran, Israel launch new attacks after Tehran rules out nuclear talks
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON: Iran and Israel exchanged fresh attacks early on Saturday, a day after Tehran said it would not negotiate over its nuclear programme while under threat and Europe tried to keep peace talks alive. Iran's Fars news agency said Israel had targeted the Isfahan nuclear facility, one of the nation's biggest, but there was no leakage of hazardous materials. Iranian media also said Israel had attacked a building in the city of Qom, with initial reports of a 16-year-old killed and two people injured. The Israeli military said it had launched a wave of attacks against missile storage and launch infrastructure sites in Iran. Shortly after 2:30 a.m. in Israel (2330 GMT on Friday), the Israeli military warned of an incoming missile barrage from Iran, triggering air raid sirens across parts of central Israel, including Tel Aviv, as well as in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Interceptions were visible in the sky over Tel Aviv, with explosions echoing across the metropolitan area as Israel's air defence systems responded. Sirens also sounded in southern Israel, said Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service. An Israeli military official said Iran had fired five ballistic missiles and that there were no immediate indications of any missile impacts. Iran says no nuclear talks under Israeli fire, Trump considers options There were no initial reports of casualties in Israel. The emergency service released images showing a fire on the roof of a multi-storey residential building in central Israel. Local media reported that the fire was caused by debris from an intercepted missile. Disputes on Iran's nuclear programme Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying its longtime enemy was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran, which says its nuclear programme is only for peaceful purposes, retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. Israel is widely assumed to possess nuclear weapons. It neither confirms nor denies this. Its air attacks have killed 639 people in Iran, according to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, a U.S.-based human rights organisation that tracks Iran. 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. Reuters could not independently verify casualty figures for either side. Guterres urges 'give peace a chance' in Israel-Iran conflict U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he thought Iran would be able to have a nuclear weapon 'within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months'. He told reporters at the airport in Morristown, New Jersey: 'We can't let that happen.' He said his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was wrong in suggesting there was no evidence Iran is building a nuclear weapon. Iran has repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv, a metropolitan area of around 4 million people and the country's business and economic hub, where some critical military assets are also located. Israel said it had struck dozens of military targets on Friday, including missile production sites, a research body it said was involved in nuclear weapons development in Tehran and military facilities in western and central Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said there was no room for negotiations with the U.S. 'until Israeli aggression stops'. But he arrived in Geneva on Friday for talks with European foreign ministers at which Europe hopes to establish a path back to diplomacy. Scant progress in Geneva Trump reiterated that he would take up to two weeks to decide whether the United States should enter the conflict on Israel's side, enough time 'to see whether or not people come to their senses', he said. Trump said he was unlikely to press Israel to scale back its airstrikes to allow negotiations to continue. European powers urge Iran to continue US nuclear talks 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now. If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens,' he said. The Geneva talks produced little signs of progress, and Trump said he doubted negotiators would be able to secure a ceasefire. '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. Hundreds of U.S. citizens have fled Iran since the air war began, according to a U.S. State Department cable seen by Reuters. Israel's envoy to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told the Security Council on Friday his country would not stop its attacks 'until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled'. Iran's U.N. envoy Amir Saeid Iravani called for Security Council action and said Tehran was alarmed by reports that the U.S. might join the war. Russia and China demanded immediate de-escalation. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that Iran was ready to discuss limitations on uranium enrichment but that it would reject any proposal that barred it from enriching uranium completely, 'especially now under Israel's strikes'.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Iran-Israel conflict continues to escalate as Geneva talks stall
[1/2] A missile launched from Iran is intercepted as seen from Ashkelon, Israel, June 21, 2025. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article The Israeli-initiated conflict with Iran continued to escalate early Saturday, with both sides exchanging fresh strikes, even as diplomatic efforts in Geneva stalled with no breakthrough on a ceasefire. An Iranian missile triggered a fire in a residential building in central Israel, prompting evacuations and emergency response, though no casualties were reported. The fire, believed to be caused by debris from an intercepted missile, came amid ongoing aerial exchanges. Sirens rang out across central and southern Israel as five ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, according to Israeli officials, with no immediate damage or injuries reported aside from the Holon fire. Iran's missile strikes were in retaliation to Israeli air assaults targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. Sirens were heard across southern Israel as the emergency service reported that five ballistic missiles had been fired. No immediate damage or casualties were reported from the missile launches. The residents evacuated the building. So far, no physical injuries have been found. MDA teams are providing medical care on site to several individuals suffering from anxiety and are continuing to search for additional casualties. — Magen David Adom (@Mdais) June 21, 2025 The escalation follows an intense week of aerial warfare, with Israel targeting military and nuclear sites in Iran. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed they had targetted numerous Iranian missile systems and radar installations as part of its strategy to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions, which Israel and its allies claim are aimed at producing nuclear weapons—an assertion Tehran denies. ✈️ The IAF continues its mission to maintain aerial superiority in Iranian airspace. Fighter jets struck several Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were intended to target IDF aircraft and disrupt their operations. This… — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 20, 2025 The latest missile attack on Israel, which ignited a fire in Holon near Tel Aviv, is part of Iran's ongoing retaliation. Interceptions over Tel Aviv were visible in the skies, with explosions reverberating across the city as Israel's air defence systems engaged the incoming threats. Israeli defense minister says military killed head of IRGC Palestine Corps Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Saturday that the military killed Saeed Izadi, a veteran commander leading the Palestine Corps of Iran's Quds Force, in a strike on an apartment in Qom, Iran. The IRGC has not confirmed the report. The Quds Force, known for building the Axis of Resistance network including Hezbollah and Hamas, has faced significant setbacks amid Israeli offensives since Hamas' October 7, 2023 attacks. Geneval talks In Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with European leaders to address the ongoing conflict. The talks, however, yielded little progress, with Araghchi reaffirming that Iran would not engage in negotiations until Israel ceases its military actions. He expressed concern over Europe's failure to condemn Israeli strikes, suggesting that Tehran would only return to diplomatic talks once "aggression stops." The standoff intensified as US President Donald Trump warned of potential military escalation and set a two-week deadline to decide on possible US involvement. Meanwhile, Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir acknowledged the possibility of a prolonged campaign. "The campaign is not over," he said, pointing to the difficulty ahead despite significant achievements in Israel's air campaign. Hundreds of US citizens have fled Iran in recent days, as tensions mount and the US government works to assist its citizens. However, the evacuation process has been marred by delays and reports of harassment. The US State Department has not provided further details on the situation. Iran FM in Turkey for OIC meeting on Israeli aggression Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Istanbul on Saturday to attend the 51st session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers. The two-day summit is expected to focus on recent Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, which Tehran calls 'unprovoked aggression.' Araghchi said the attacks forced Iran to respond in self-defence. While the conflict rages on, diplomatic efforts continue, with world leaders urging both sides to de-escalate. However, with ongoing missile exchanges and rising casualties—639 deaths reported in Iran by a Washington-based human rights organisations and 24 in Israel—the path to peace remains uncertain. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has pledged continued military action until Iran's nuclear threat is neutralised, further complicating prospects for a ceasefire. Iranian officials have called for Security Council intervention, while Russia and China have urged a diplomatic resolution. US intelligence community divided The US intelligence community, for its part, remains divided over the status of Iran's nuclear capabilities. Despite public statements, some reports suggest it would take Iran up to three years to build a nuclear warhead. The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division. America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalize the… — DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 20, 2025 Many critics have argued the nuclear weapons pretext mirrors the flawed intelligence that led to the Iraq war, raising fears of history repeating itself. The Iraq war, launched on false claims of weapons of mass destruction, unleashed decades of bloodshed and regional instability that still haunt the region today. Similar to the Iraq war, other US-led regime change campaigns in Syria and Libya have sparked widespread violence, fueled the rise of terrorism, caused the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives, and left deep-rooted instability that continues to impact the region. As the situation continues to escalate, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned of a "point of no return," while Russian and Chinese leaders called for a ceasefire and a return to diplomacy. The conflict has reached unprecedented levels following Israel's "Operation Rising Lion" and Iran's retaliatory "Operation True Promise," which has resulted in widespread casualties and damage. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has called on all parties to "give peace a chance."
