European Diplomacy in Motion as E3 Ministers Seek Nuclear Dialogue with Iran Amid Escalating Conflict

 In a pivotal effort to restore diplomatic engagement over Iran’s nuclear programme, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany are scheduled to meet Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Geneva on Friday. The high-level talks come at a critical juncture, as the region teeters on the brink of wider conflict following Israel’s recent military escalation and rising U.S. involvement.

The diplomatic outreach follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a two-week deadline to determine whether the United States will formally join Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran. The White House confirmed that while direct correspondence with Tehran continues, military options remain on the table. “President Trump will make a decision on whether to attack Iran within two weeks,” a senior official stated, adding that there remains hope for resuming negotiations.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on Thursday, stressed the urgency of de-escalation. “It is time to halt the grave scenes unfolding across the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that serves no one,” Lammy remarked.

The Geneva meeting revives the setting of the 2013 interim nuclear accord and the subsequent 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the United States withdrew in 2018. Talks had briefly resumed earlier this year but collapsed after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iranian territory on June 12, effectively freezing all diplomatic momentum.

A senior Iranian official reiterated Tehran’s commitment to diplomacy but urged the European trio — collectively known as the E3 — to exert pressure on Israel to halt its military actions. “Iran remains committed to dialogue as the only solution to regional disputes. However, diplomacy itself is now under siege,” the official said.

Israel, meanwhile, has sharpened its rhetoric. In a provocative statement, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz openly called for regime change in Tehran, declaring that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “can no longer be allowed to exist.”

Escalation on Multiple Fronts

As diplomacy struggles to gain traction, the humanitarian toll from the conflict continues to mount:

• Gaza: According to reports from Al Jazeera, at least 22 Palestinians were killed on Friday after Israeli forces opened fire on civilians seeking aid near the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. The previous day, Israeli airstrikes killed a further 72 people, including 21 near humanitarian food distribution sites run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). Among the dead were several women and children, with harrowing footage showing victims near makeshift shelters in Gaza City.
  
  
• Iran Nuclear Facilities: Israel launched strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy-water reactor, part of its nuclear infrastructure. Iranian state media reported no radiation leaks and stated that the site had been evacuated prior to the attack. The Natanz nuclear facility, previously targeted by cyber and aerial strikes, was also hit again.
  
  
• Casualties in Iran: A week of sustained Israeli airstrikes has reportedly killed at least 657 people and injured over 2,000, according to Washington-based Human Rights Activists. Of those killed, 263 were civilians and 164 were identified as members of Iranian security forces. Iran’s last official update earlier this week reported 224 deaths and 1,277 injured, figures notably lower than independent estimates.
  
  
• Missile Strikes on Israel: Iranian missile strikes on Thursday morning left at least 240 wounded in Israel, with four critically injured, according to the country’s health ministry and Associated Press reports.

Amid the spiralling violence, Iran accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of aligning with Israel in what it described as a “war of aggression.” Tehran's criticism follows a recent IAEA report that accused Iran of non-compliance with nuclear safeguards, published just days before the Israel-Iran conflict erupted.

Adding to the alarm, Iraq’s highest Shia authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, issued a stern warning against targeting Iran’s leadership. In a statement, Sistani said that any attack on the country’s supreme religious and political leadership would have “dire consequences for the entire region.”