Diplomats from Britain, France, Germany, and the European Union convened with Iran’s foreign minister on Friday. They encouraged Iran to engage in diplomacy with the U.S. following a week when nuclear talks broke down and tensions between Iran and Israel intensified.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized, “We are eager to sustain the ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran and strongly encourage Iran to persist in their dialogue with the United States. Our message was clear: Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon.”
The meeting, held in Geneva, Switzerland, was the first face-to-face with an Iranian leader since last weekend’s flashpoint.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul reflected optimistically, saying, “The positive outcome today is that we leave with the sense that the Iranian side is fundamentally open to continuing discussions on all crucial matters.” He noted that both sides had engaged in “very serious talks.”
On Friday, the European diplomats “reiterated their longstanding concerns about Iran’s expansion of its nuclear programme, which has no credible civilian purpose, in violation of almost all JCPoA provisions.”
They added that they “discussed avenues towards a negotiated solution to Iran’s nuclear programme, while emphasising the urgency of the matter. They expressed their willingness to continue discussing all questions relevant to Iran’s nuclear programme and broader issues,” urging Iran to cooperate with the IAEA.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump said he may consider a U.S. strike on Iran.
President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“Yes, I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do. I can tell you this that Iran’s got a lot of trouble, and they want to negotiate,” Trump told reporters Wednesday on the U.S. potentially striking Iran as it continues trading deadly strikes with Israel. “And I said, why didn’t you negotiate with me before all this death and destruction? Why didn’t you go? I said to people, why didn’t you negotiate with me two weeks ago? You could have done fine. You would have had a country. It’s very sad to watch this.”
Trump on Friday told reporters the U.S. is “willing and able” to talk to Iran, adding that Iran doesn’t want to talk to Europe. “They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to help,” he said.
He added that while he was against the war in Iraq in 2003 because he didn’t believe there were weapons on mass destruction, he believes Iran is building a nuclear weapon, saying that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is “wrong” in saying there isn’t enough evidence to conclude that.
“The material that they’ve gathered already. It’s a tremendous amount of material. And I think within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months, they are going to be able to have a nuclear weapon,” he said. “We can’t let that happen.”
On Friday, the U.K., France, Germany and EU diplomats, said they also “shared their support for discussions to continue” with Iran and “welcomed ongoing US efforts to seek a negotiated solution. They expressed their willingness to meet again in the future.”
