Iran‘s foreign minister will meet with European leaders in Geneva on Friday as President Donald Trump mulls whether to involve American forces in Israel’s conflict against Iran.
Europe has had a more passive posture than America on diplomacy with Iran, which is sending Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Switzerland for Friday’s meeting. Trump has openly threatened Iran’s leader and expressed the urgency toward stopping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, while Europe seeks to de-escalate the situation.
“All sides must show restraint, refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation in the region, and return to diplomacy,” read a joint statement issued Wednesday by France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
The meeting in Geneva is the first face-to-face meeting of European and Iranian officials since the Israel-Iran conflict began last week. Europe is still hoping to solve Iran’s nuclear program diplomatically.
“The EU will continue to contribute to all diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions and to find a lasting solution to the Iranian nuclear issue, which can only be through a negotiated deal,” said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the European Commission. “This is why an intense outreach activity involving all relevant sides is currently underway to preserve room for diplomacy and create the conditions for a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear issue.”
There will be no U.S. involvement in the talks for now. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Thursday that France and European partners are ready to “resume negotiations” with Iran, while Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz hoped that the conflict wouldn’t spread to other countries in the region.
Barrot said Iranian authorities’ message was “relatively clear: there is a willingness to resume talks, including with the United States, provided that a ceasefire can be reached.”
“On our side, there is a willingness to resume negotiations, provided that these negotiations can lead to lasting, substantial steps backward by Iran regarding its nuclear program, its ballistic program, and its activities to destabilize the region,” Barrot said.
Trump said he wasn’t sure if he was going to enter the conflict and is still leaving the door cracked for negotiations. He relayed a message through White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the issue Thursday, giving the White House two weeks to decide whether to get involved.
“I have a message directly from the president,” Leavitt said, “and I quote, ‘Based on the fact that there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks.’ That’s a quote directly from the president for all of you today.”
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There has been ample debate over whether U.S. involvement is necessary for Israel to disable Iran’s nuclear program or possibly topple its government.
At least one nuclear site will require American bunker-buster bombs to destroy, and if Israel wants to take out Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, it would also need the bombs.