GENEVA (Kashmir English): In a major diplomatic development, Geneva is set to host critical talks between European foreign ministers and Iran this Friday, June 20. The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva.
Foreign ministers from Germany, France, and the UK – collectively known as the “E3” – along with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva. According to sources, the talks aim to secure concrete assurances that Iran’s nuclear program will remain strictly for civilian purposes.
The talks in Geneva will be coordinated closely with the United States, though U.S. officials are not expected to participate directly. The European initiative comes amid fears of a spiralling conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched wide-ranging military strikes on its arch-enemy Iran last week and Iran sent waves of missiles at Israeli targets in response.
Ahead of the Friday meeting, preliminary consultations are being held at Germany’s diplomatic mission in Geneva. These discussions will likely set the stage for more detailed negotiations in the coming weeks.
Araghchi, who has already spoken to his European counterparts on the phone earlier this week, has refused any contact with Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff.
He argued that American support for Israeli military action makes direct engagement with Washington untenable at this time. It is impossible to meet Witkoff while the Iranians are under assault from Israel, he said.
In a post on social media late Wednesday, Araghchi reiterated that Iran was acting in self-defence, writing, “Iran has proven in action what it has always publicly committed itself to: we have never sought and will never seek nuclear weapons.”
The aim of the talks between Iran and the Europeans, which the German source said are taking place in coordination with the United States, is to persuade the Iranian side to firmly guarantee that it will use its nuclear programme solely for civilian purposes.
By bringing the two sides together, Geneva is once again serving as a hub for international diplomacy. The city has long been known for hosting peace talks, and this upcoming meeting could be a turning point in stabilising the region.
