The foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain are planning to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterparts in a last-ditch effort to contain the conflict, reported Reuters.
The ministers will first meet the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, at Germany’s permanent mission in Geneva before meeting their Iranian counterpart, a German diplomatic source told Reuters.
The initiative comes amid fears of escalating tensions in the Middle East after Israel launched wide-ranging missiles on its arch-enemy Iran last week and Tehran responded with waves of missiles at Israeli targets.
The Friday nuclear talks, which according to the report are taking place in coordination with the US, are aimed at persuading Tehran to firmly guarantee that it will use its nuclear programme solely for civilian purposes.
The talks are to be followed by a structural dialogue at the expert level, the report added.
Iran Rejects Call For Surrender
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected US calls for surrender as Israel continues striking the country. He also warned that any military intervention by the Americans would cause “irreparable damage to them.”
The fighting between the two countries that began last week has killed at least 639 people in Iran while 1,239 others have been wounded, according to a human rights group, reported AP.
Khameinei’s warning came a day after US President Donald Trump demanded that Iran surrender without conditions and warned the Supreme Leader that the US knows where he is but has no plans to kill him, “at least for now.”
The US president initially distanced himself from Israel’s surprise attack aimed at Iran’s nuclear programme but later hinted at greater American involvement.
On Tuesday, he also approved plans to attack Iran but has not made a final decision on whether to strike the country, reported CBS. On Wednesday, Trump said, “I may do it, I may not do it”, when asked a question about US involvement in Iran.
