European powers began talks with Iran in Geneva on Friday, talking of a window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution while the United States weighs whether to join its ally Israel’s bombing campaign.

Israel came under renewed Iranian missile fire after carrying out dozens of strikes overnight on targets, including a suspected nuclear research centre.

Here are the latest developments:

Geneva talks

Top European diplomats opened talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araghchi in Geneva, saying they wanted to offer a “diplomatic solution” to the war, now on its eighth day.

Ahead of the talks, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was “essential to prioritise” a return to negotiations, and said European powers would offer Iran a “diplomatic solution”.

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, and the European Union’s top diplomat have urged de-escalation, with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy saying the next two weeks are “a window… to achieve a diplomatic solution”.

Israel pressed the Europeans to adopt a “firm stance” with Iran in the talks, underlining that it was “not part of that meeting”.

“We expect the European foreign ministers to… demand that there is a complete rollback of the nuclear programme, the dismantling of ballistic missile arsenal and programme, and putting an end to Iran’s regional terrorist activities and active support for its terrorist proxies,” Israel’s ambassador in Geneva Daniel Meron told reporters.

In an interview with German publication Bild, Israel’s top diplomat Gideon Saar said he did not “particularly” believe in diplomacy with Iran.

“All diplomatic efforts so far have failed,” said Saar, whose country had supported US President Donald Trump’s 2018 decision to abandon a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and major powers.

Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council earlier, Araghchi condemned Israel for launching its military action while Iran was still in nuclear talks with the United States.

“We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process,” the Iranian minister said.

As the Security Council prepared to discuss the war later on Friday, UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed to all parties to “give peace a chance”.

New day of strikes 

Israel’s military said on Friday it struck missile launchers in its latest attack on Iran.

In Israel, sirens sounded in the afternoon after missiles were launched from Iran for the second time on Friday, and rescuers reported two wounded, including a 16-year-old in serious condition.

A military official said that “approximately 20 missiles were launched towards Israel” in the latest salvo.

At least 25 people have been killed in Israel since the war began, according to Israeli authorities.

Iran said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. Authorities have not issued an updated toll since.

Protests in Iran, Iraq

Thousands of people joined a protest against Israel in the Iranian capital and other cities on Friday after weekly prayers, chanting slogans in support of their leaders, according to state television.

“I will sacrifice my life for my leader,” read a protester’s banner, a reference to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In neighbouring Iraq, thousands of supporters of powerful cleric Moqtada Sadr also rallied in Baghdad and other cities against the war, AFP correspondents said.

“It is an unjust war… Israel has no right” to hit Iran, said protester Abu Hussein.

Diplomats quit Tehran

As the conflict raged, Britain said it had withdrawn its embassy staff from Iran, while Switzerland announced the temporary closure of its embassy.

“Due to the current security situation, we have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the British foreign ministry said.

Switzerland cited the “highly unstable situation on the ground” for its decision. It said it would continue to fulfil its role representing US interests in Iran.

AFP

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