European Officials Urge Iran To Stay Engaged In Diplomacy As Israeli Attacks Continue

GENEVA, June 21 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Top European diplomats on Friday stressed the urgency of continued dialogue with Iran following talks in Geneva aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and reviving negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. 

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, met with his counterparts from the UK, France, and Germany (known as the E3), as well as Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief.

Indirect talks between Iran and the US had been taking place when Israel launched strikes against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities on June 13, prompting retaliation. The tit-for-tat attacks have continued since then.

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Speaking after the meeting, Kallas said the talks made clear that "regional escalation benefits no one," underlining the need to maintain open channels with Tehran.

"We agreed that we will discuss nuclear but also broader issues that we have, and keep the discussions open" to make progress, she said.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy gave a similar message, urging Tehran to remain at the table.

"We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States," he said.

"This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don’t see regional escalation of this conflict."

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stressed that the initiative had been closely coordinated with key allies and could lay the groundwork for broader negotiations.

"We believe that this diplomatic initiative should pave the way for negotiations.

“The Iranian foreign minister expressed his willingness, and we expect Iran to open up to discussion, including with the United States, in order to reach a negotiated settlement through dialogue for this crisis, which carries risks not only for the Middle East region but also for Europe," he said.

In a separate media appearance after the talks, Araghchi said Iran's defence capabilities "are not negotiable."

"Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again once the aggression stops and the aggressor (is) held accountable," he said, referring to Israel.

He also voiced concern about the E3 and the EU not having condemned the attacks on Iran.

"We support continuation of discussions with E3 and EU and (we) express our readiness to meet again in the near future," he said.

Trump, who argues Tehran cannot have nuclear weapons, unilaterally left the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in 2018, during his first term as president, though its defenders said it was working.

Iran, however, maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

The American president on Thursday said he would decide within two weeks whether to join Israel's attacks on Tehran.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU