European foreign ministers will hold talks with their Iranian counterpart, hoping to reach a diplomatic solution to the war with Israel as US President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of US involvement, AFP reports.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has sworn Iran will “pay a heavy price” for a strike on an Israeli hospital, an attack Tehran said was targeting a military and intelligence base.
European leaders urging de-escalation have scrambled to hold talks with Iran, as Trump said he would decide “within the next two weeks” whether to involve the United States in Israel’s bombing campaign.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution”, after meeting senior US officials in Washington yesterday.
Lammy and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “agreed Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon”, according to the State Department.
Netanyahu welcomed the prospect of US involvement in its campaign, while Russia, an Iranian ally, told the United States that joining the conflict would be an “extremely dangerous step”.
The UN Security Council is also due to convene today for a second session on the conflict, which was requested by Iran with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP.
