The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain plan to speak with their Iranian counterparts later this week with a goal to sit down on Friday in Geneva, according to Reuters, who cited a German diplomatic source.
Newsweek reached out to the French Embassy to the United States, the German Federal Foreign Office, the British Foreign Ministry, and the European Union External Action Office by email Wednesday for comment.
Why It Matters
Israel last week struck Iran with a wave of airstrikes, which it described as a “preemptive” offensive based on “high-quality intelligence” that Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.
The strikes hit a variety of Iranian targets, including military personnel and nuclear scientists, in what Israeli leadership has called “Operation Rising Lion.” Iran quickly retaliated, setting off six days of exchanges that has left Iran and Israel bloodied.
Israel’s strikes have killed at least 585 people in Iran – including 239 civilians – and wounded another 1,300, according to a human rights group that has long tracked the country, Washington-based Human Rights Activists.
Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures. Israel has said 24 people have been killed since Friday and 500 more have been wounded, according to Israeli officials.
Israel has also attacked Iran’s state-run television network and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to rule out killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both developments further fueled concerns among those on the left and the right that Israel is aiming for regime change in Iran, a charge Netanyahu has denied, though he’s said Israel would welcome a collapse.
Dima Vazinovich / Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images // John MacDougall/ AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
The meeting will follow another planned meeting with the European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas at the German permanent mission in Geneva.
The source said the talks are not happening in a vacuum but will take place in coordination with the United States with the goal of convincing the Iranians to provide concrete guarantees that the regime will only seek “civilian purposes” for its nuclear energy program.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz earlier this week said the Israeli attacks on Iran had significantly weakened Iranian leadership and may have undermined any chance to regain its former strength, leaving the country’s future “uncertain.”
Merz had also underscored his nation’s commitment to a diplomatic solution even as the conflict between Israel and Iran continues to escalate, saying: “If a new situation were to arise, we would again be prepared to provide diplomatic assistance, as we were until last Thursday.”
German Foreign Minister Johan Wadephul also appealed to Iranian leadership to end the conflict and assure that Tehran will not seek nuclear weapons, saying that it’s “never too late to come to the negotiating table.”
Brad McGurk, a former Middle East & North Africa coordinator for the National Security Council, told CNN‘s Anderson Cooper that he has “low expectations” that the meeting between European and Iranian officials will produce a result, but he urged Iran’s leadership to find a “diplomatic offramp” for the conflict.
What People Are Saying
President Trump to reporters on Wednesday in part: “Maybe we won’t have to fight. I’m not looking to fight. But if it’s a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do.”
He added that had “ideas” about what to do regarding Iran, saying: “I like to make the final decision one second before it’s due … Things change with war.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a national address in part: “We warn America of the consequences of engaging in war, because it will suffer severe damage if it decides to do so. War is met with war, bombing with bombing, and strike with strike.”
What Happens Next
Trump has indicated he is weighing potential U.S. involvement in the conflict, to which Iranian officials have pledged retaliation. Meanwhile, Russia has warned the U.S. against getting involved at the risk of prompting a wider regional conflict.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.