Latest news with #Lammy
The Hindu
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Europeans see a 'window of opportunity' for diplomacy as they meet Iran's top diplomat
Iran's Foreign Minister plans to meet in Geneva on Friday (June 20, 2025) with leading European counterparts, who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the week-old military conflict that has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will meet Iran's Abbas Araghchi together with his French and German counterparts and the European Union's foreign policy chief, said that 'a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.' Follow the updates on Israel-Iran conflict LIVE The talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. Mr. Lammy is travelling to Geneva after meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. Mr. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. He said Wednesday that he'll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war, given the 'substantial chance' for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. '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,' Mr. Lammy said. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign last week 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 programme, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause 'irreparable damage to them.' Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme 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%. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now. 'It is our commitment once again to undertake a very intensive attempt to dissuade Iran permanently from pursuing such plans,' Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday. 'If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that, every conversation makes sense.' Mr. Wadephul said U.S. officials 'not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so — so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability.' French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening. A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio 'stressed that the US was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time.'
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
40 minutes ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Europeans see 'opportunity' for diplomacy as they meet Iran's top diplomat
Iran's foreign minister plans to meet in Geneva on Friday with leading European counterparts, who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the week-old military conflict that has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will meet Iran's Abbas Araghchi together with his French and German counterparts and the European Union's foreign policy chief, said that a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution. The talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. Lammy is traveling to Geneva after meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's bunker-buster bombs. He said Wednesday that he'll decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the war given the substantial chance for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme. 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, Lammy said. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign last week 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 programme, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks. Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause irreparable damage to them. Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme 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. The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now. It is our commitment once again to undertake a very intensive attempt to dissuade Iran permanently from pursuing such plans, Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday. If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that every conversation makes sense. Wadephul said US officials not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening. A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio stressed that the US was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time.
Nahar Net
an hour ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Europeans see window for diplomacy as they meet Iran's top diplomat
by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 June 2025, 11:55 Iran's foreign minister plans to meet in Geneva on Friday with leading European counterparts, who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the weekold war that has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said his country is not seeking negotiations with anyone as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will meet Araghchi together with his French and German counterparts and the European Union's foreign policy chief, said that "a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution." The talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict. Lammy is traveling to Geneva after meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff. Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's "bunker-buster" bombs. He said Wednesday that he'll decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in the war given the "substantial chance" for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program. "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," Lammy said. Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign last week 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 says no talks while Israeli attacks continue Iran's supreme leader rejectedU.S. calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause "irreparable damage to them." In an interview aired Friday by Iranian state television, Araghchi said that "in the current situation, as the Zionist regime's attacks continue, we are not seeking negotiations with anyone." "I believe that as a result of this resistance (by Iran), we will gradually see countries distancing themselves from the aggression carried out by the regime, and calls for ending this war have already begun, and they will only grow stronger," he said. Araghchi, who also is expected to address the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday afternoon, added that Iran considers "the Americans to be companions and collaborators of the Zionist regime." Iran has long insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60%, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The three European countries played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Europeans stand ready to negotiate Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now. "If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that every conversation makes sense," Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday. Wadephul said U.S. officials "not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so — so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability." Before traveling to Geneva on Friday, Wadephul said the Europeans would be prepared to hold further talks if Iran shows serious readiness to refrain from any enrichment that could result in nuclear weapons, among other things, but stressed that "it's Iran's move now." French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening. A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio "stressed that the U.S. was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time."
STV News
2 hours ago
- Politics
- STV News
UK and EU to hold talks with Iran in efforts to de-escalate conflict
The foreign secretary David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday to meet with the Iranian foreign minister and his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU, in an effort to reach a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Iran conflict. The meeting with Abbas Araghchi comes after US Donald Trump said he would make a decision on US military action in Tehran 'within the next two weeks'. It also follows Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. Lammy is expected to reiterate the UK's concerns about Iran's nuclear programme, and to press for a diplomatic solution to resolve the issue long term. In a statement ahead of the meeting, he said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Foreign Secretary David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday for talks with his Iranian counterpart. / Credit: PA Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Lammy 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 Israeli military also released video on Friday that it said showed strikes on air defence systems and missiles launchers in Iran. The army said in a statement that the air force struck 'three ready-to-launch missile launchers aimed at Israeli territory.' In a second statement, the military added that the air force destroyed 'Iranian missile systems and radar installations in the areas of Isfahan and Tehran, which were intended to target IDF aircraft and disrupt their operations.' Israeli airstrikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. / Credit: AP The Israeli military had warned the public to flee the area around Rasht's Industrial City, southwest of the city's downtown. However, with Iran's internet shut off for a second day, it's unclear how many people could see the message. In Israel, the paramedic service Magen David Adom said missiles struck a residential area in southern Israel, causing damage to buildings, including one six-storey building. They have provided medical treatment to five people with minor injuries such as bruises, smoke inhalation, and anxiety, it said. This comes a day after at least 80 patients and medical workers were wounded in a strike on the Soroka Medical Centre, in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. Earlier on Thursday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had urged the US to step back from military action, saying there was a 'real risk of escalation'. It is unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Trump decides to act militarily. If you are a UK citizen currently in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories, let the Foreign Office know here. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
David Lammy arrives in Geneva to meet Iran's foreign minister for peace push
The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. The Foreign Secretary said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Mr Lammy 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.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Friday morning the White House had provided a 'very clear timescale now' for the UK and its allies as they push for de-escalation in the Middle East. The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with @SecRubio and @SteveWitkoff in the White House today, we discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two… — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 19, 2025 She also told Times Radio: 'There is this two-week window where the US is offering diplomatic talks. And my counterpart, David Lammy, is over in Geneva today with leading European figures meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. 'We appreciate the seriousness of the situation, but we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve de-escalation and a diplomatic solution. And all of our efforts continue towards that end.' Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a 'fresh, tough approach' to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed 'a multifaceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and a 'comprehensive diplomatic solution' that 'eliminates once and for all' Iran's nuclear threat.
