UK’s Lammy to meet European counterparts in Geneva to hold nuclear talks with Iran

LONDON: British foreign minister David Lammy will head to Geneva on Friday for nuclear talks with Iran and European counterparts, racing to press for a diplomatic solution over Tehran’s nuclear programme, his office said on Thursday.

Israel and Iran have been in a spiralling air war since last week after Israel launched military strikes on Iran, which retaliated with waves of missiles.

Lammy’s trip to Switzerland follows his visit to Washington, where he on Thursday met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff.

“We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon… A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution,” Lammy said in a statement.

“Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one.”

The foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany – known as the E3 – will meet with the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany’s permanent mission in Geneva before holding a joint meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, a German source previously told Reuters.

Rubio discussed with Lammy the conflict between Israel and Iran, the pair agreeing that the Islamic Republic can “never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon,” a spokesperson for Rubio said in a statement.

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Israel has said its goal is to eliminate Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran denies that its nuclear programme is for military purposes.

The White House said earlier on Thursday that US President Donald Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks whether to get involved on Israel’s side.