The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain will hold nuclear negotiations with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva on Friday, according to Reuters.
The meeting, coordinated with the United States, aims to secure firm guarantees that Iran’s nuclear programme remains exclusively for civilian purposes. European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will first convene with the ministers at Germany’s permanent mission before the joint session with Iran.
The talks mark a critical effort to de-escalate regional tensions following weeks of reciprocal attacks between Israel and Iran, which included Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and Iran’s missile barrage against Israeli targets.
The diplomatic push occurs amidst fears of further escalation after US President Donald Trump declined to clarify whether America would join Israel’s military campaign. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul emphasised openness to dialogue, stating: “It’s never too late to come to the negotiating table.”
The negotiations unfold against a backdrop of inflammatory statements from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who provoked backlash by characterising Israel’s strikes on Iran as doing “the dirty work” for other nations.
Yes, Israel did dirty work there. I can only express my utmost respect for the Israeli army and leadership for having the courage to do that. Without their action, we might have seen this regime’s terror continue for months and years, then possibly with a nuclear weapon in hand.
Merz defended his remarks, claiming they received “overwhelming approval” despite sharp criticism from coalition partners and opposition figures. Social Democrat Ralf Stegner labelled the comments “more than strange”, noting they implied Israel’s actions were “presumably contrary to international law.” Green politician Anton Hofreiter termed the phrasing “clumsy”, while Left Party leader Sören Pellmann accused Merz of “throwing international law overboard.”
Iran maintains its nuclear programme is purely peaceful, a stance reiterated amid Israel’s explicit goal to dismantle Tehran’s atomic capabilities. Chancellor Merz further antagonised Iran by warning that refusal to de-escalate could lead to the “complete destruction” of its nuclear infrastructure, asserting that Israel lacked the military capacity for such an operation but “the Americans have them.”
