Germany, England and France in talks with Iran

Geneva (dpa) – As the war between Israel and Iran enters its second week, three European foreign ministers are meeting today with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva, Switzerland, in an effort to de-escalate the situation. One of the aims of Johann Wadephul (Germany), Jean-Noël Barrot (France) and David Lammy (United Kingdom) is to persuade Iran to back down on its nuclear programme and to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, is also expected to attend the meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. The Europeans are hoping to send a diplomatic signal to help bring the war to an end – or at the very least to prevent it from escalating further – especially given the still-uncertain question of whether the United States will actively intervene in the conflict. 

Just before today’s European talks in Switzerland, British Foreign Secretary Lammy met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington. They reaffirmed their commitment to continued close cooperation to ensure that Iran never develops or acquires nuclear weapons.