The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, a German diplomatic source told Reuters.
The ministers will first meet with the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany’s permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, the source said.
The European initiative comes amid fears of a spiraling conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched wide-ranging military strikes on its arch-enemy Iran last week and Iran sent waves of missiles at Israel in response.
US President Donald Trump has declined to say whether the United States will join its ally Israel’s military campaign, fueling concerns that the crisis could intensify.
The aim of the talks between Iran and the Europeans, which the German source said are taking place in coordination with the United States, is to persuade the Iranian side to firmly guarantee that it will use its nuclear program solely for civilian purposes.
According to the source, the talks are to be followed by a structured dialogue at the expert level.
Israel has said its goal is to eliminate Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies that its nuclear program is for military purposes.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has spoken out in support of Israel’s attack and angered Tehran this week by saying the Iranians should de-escalate or face the threat of even greater destruction.
Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday appealed to Iran’s leaders to work towards a solution that would involve assurances over its nuclear program, telling them: “It’s never too late to come to the negotiating table.”
French President Emmanuel Macron’s office separately said Wednesday that Paris was planning along with European partners to suggest a negotiated solution to end the conflict.
At a national security council meeting, Macron ordered Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot to draw up in the coming days “an initiative with close European partners that would propose a demanding negotiated settlement to put an end to the conflict,” it said, without giving details on the nature of the plan.
Barrot has been in regular touch with his German and British counterparts since Israel launched its massive air campaign last week.
All three countries were involved in talks that led to a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear activities in exchange for relief from sanctions.
The United States withdrew from that accord during President Donald Trump’s first term.
Macron also urged Israel to end strikes on targets in Iran not linked to nuclear activities or ballistic missiles.
He voice “concern over the current escalation, with Israeli strikes increasingly hitting targets not linked to Iran’s nuclear or ballistic program, and a mounting number of civilian victims in Iran and Israel”, his office said.
He said it was “necessary to urgently end these military operations, which pose significant threats to regional security,” it added.
Also Wednesday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani reiterated on Wednesday the need for deescalation in the Middle East amid the Israel-Iran conflict, a spokesperson for Starmer’s office said.
“Underscoring the deep defense and security relationship between the two countries, the prime minister reiterated the UK’s support for Qatar and leaders discussed how both countries could further support regional stability,” the spokesperson said following a call between the two leaders.