European diplomats urge Iran to pursue American nuclear talks after attacks

Diplomats from Great Britain, France, Germany and the European Union met the Iranian Foreign Minister on Friday, urging the country to continue diplomacy with the United States a week after having stored nuclear talks turned into attacks between Iran and Israel.

“We want to continue the current discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States,” said British Foreign Minister David Lammy. “We were clear: Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”

The meeting, which was held in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first face to face with an Iranian leader since the flashpoint last weekend.

“The good result today is that we leave the play with the impression that the Iranian part is fundamentally ready to continue to talk about all important questions,” said German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul. He said that the two parties had “very serious talks”.

Discussions in Iran with Europeans take place on Friday; The White House sees a “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations

The French Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, on the left (Fabrice Coffrini / Keystone via AP)

The meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi lasted more than three hours.

“Military operations can slow down the Iran’s nuclear program, but they cannot in any case eliminate it,” said French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot. “We know well – after seeing what happened in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya – how illusory and dangerous to want to impose a change of diet from the outside.”

In a joint declaration, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and the EU declared that they have shared their “serious concerns” with Araghchi “with regard to the climbing of tensions in the Middle East and reiterated their firm commitment to Israel’s security,” adding that “all parties should refrain from making measures that lead to additional escalation in the region and Ensure that Iran never is responsible for “and a weapon of nugability.

Last Friday, Israel launched air strikes against Iranian nuclear sites after nuclear talks seemed to stall, causing Iran’s response. The two countries continue to exchange strikes.

On Friday, European leaders spoke with the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi. (Trézzini Martial / Keystone via AP)

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a short time after strikes were needed to “retreat the Iranian threat to the very survival of Israel”.

The meeting also occurs less than a month after report by the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that the country quickly increases its stock of uranium enriched with the quality of weapons.

Inside the situation room where Trump and his national security team wear the next steps on Iran

Friday, European diplomats “reiterated their long -standing concerns concerning Iran’s expansion of its nuclear program, which has no credible civil objective, in violation of almost all JCPOA provisions”.

They added that they “discussed the ways to a negotiated solution to the Iranian nuclear program, while stressing the urgency of the question. They expressed their will to continue to discuss all the relevant questions for the Iranian nuclear program and wider questions”, urging Iran to cooperate with the AIEA.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said he could consider an American strike on Iran.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, NJ, Friday June 20, 2025. (AP photo AP / Manuel Balce Ceneta) (AP photo / manual Balce Ceneta)

“Yes, I can do it. I may not do it. I mean, no one knows what I am going to do. I can tell you that Iran has a lot of problems, and they want to negotiate,” Trump told journalists on the potentially striking United States on the United States of Iran on Wednesday when he continues to negotiate fatal strikes with Israel. “And I said, why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and this destruction? Why didn’t you go? I said to people, why didn’t you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done well. You could have had a country. It’s very sad to look at this.”

Trump on Friday told journalists that the United States was “arranged and able” to speak to Iran, adding that Iran did not want to speak to Europe. “They want to talk to us. Europe will not help,” he said.

He added that even if he was against the war in Iraq in 2003 because he did not believe that there were weapons on mass destruction, he thinks that Iran built a nuclear weapon, saying that the director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is “false” by saying that there is not enough evidence to conclude this.

“The material they have already gathered. It is a huge amount of equipment. And I think that in a few weeks, or certainly in a few months, they will be able to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “We cannot let this happen.”

Click here to obtain the Fox News app

Friday, diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the EU, said that they “also shared their support for discussions to continue” with Iran and “welcomed the current American efforts to seek a negotiated solution. They expressed their desire to meet again in the future”.

Ben Evansky of Fox News, Emma Colton and the Associated Press contributed to this report.