On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, following meetings with U.S. officials in Washington and ahead of European discussions with Iran regarding its nuclear program, that there is still an opportunity for a diplomatic resolution with Tehran.
Lammy met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Wittkoff at the White House before heading to Geneva on Friday for talks with his French and German counterparts, as well as the European Union’s foreign policy chief, alongside Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
In a statement released by the British embassy in Washington, Lammy emphasized, “The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are committed to ensuring that Iran never possesses nuclear weapons.”
He added, “We discussed how Iran should reach an agreement to avert an escalating conflict. There is a significant opportunity in the upcoming two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.”
President Trump indicated on Thursday that he would decide within the next two weeks whether to take military action against Iran, stating, “I will make my decision on whether to proceed in the coming two weeks.”
Lammy noted, “I will travel to Geneva to meet with the Iranian Foreign Minister, along with my French, German, and EU counterparts,” reiterating, “Now is the time to put an end to the dangerous scenarios in the Middle East and prevent regional escalation that would benefit no one.”
The U.S. State Department released a statement confirming that Lammy and Rubio “agreed that Iran must never develop or acquire nuclear weapons.”
This meeting comes as European nations advocate for de-escalation amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, where Israel has targeted nuclear facilities with the explicit aim of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Araqchi mentioned in a statement reported by the official IRNA news agency, “We will meet with the European delegation in Geneva on Friday.”
European diplomats have separately confirmed the scheduled talks, which will include Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, and EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas.
France, Germany, the UK, and the EU are parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement, from which Trump withdrew during his first term.
EU foreign policy chief Kaia Kalas affirmed that diplomacy remains the best path to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear bomb.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that European nations intend to propose a negotiated solution to end the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Macron has tasked his Foreign Minister with initiating discussions with “close European partners” to achieve this goal.