Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi held talks with the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany and representatives of the European Union in Geneva, Switzerland on the 20th. Europe asked Iran to resume negotiations with the United States on the Iranian nuclear issue. Iran reiterated that only if Israel “stops aggression” will Iran consider resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic means again.
The talks lasted about three and a half hours. This is the first face-to-face meeting between Western countries and senior Iranian officials since Israel launched a large-scale air strike on Iran in the early morning of the 13th.
Araghchi told reporters after the talks that only if Israel stops its aggression against Iran will Iran consider resolving the Iranian nuclear issue through diplomatic means again. He stressed that Iran’s nuclear program has always been peaceful in nature and has been under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Araghchi expressed concern that Britain, France, Germany and the European Union did not condemn Israel’s attack on Iran. He also said that Iran supports continuing consultations with Britain, France, Germany and the European Union, and is willing to make efforts to promote peace in the near future.
After the talks, British Foreign Secretary Lamy, French Foreign Minister Barrow, German Foreign Minister Wadful and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kallas made brief statements to reporters on the scene.
Lamy said that Britain hopes to maintain continuous discussions and negotiations with Iran and urged Iran to continue dialogue with the United States. Barrow said that France has invited the Iranian Foreign Minister to consider restarting negotiations with all parties, including the United States, rather than after Israel stops its attacks. Wadful said that after the talks, all parties generally felt that Iran was willing to continue dialogue on all important issues. Kallas said that all parties agreed to keep the dialogue open, not only to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue, but also to consult on broader issues.