- UK FM says that the situation in the Middle East remains perilous.
- Said discussed with Rubio how Iran can avoid conflicts.
- Lammy, Rubio agrees that Iran can never develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
Washington: British Foreign Minister David Lammy said there was still a chance to conclude a peaceful agreement with Iran on his nuclear program.
Speaking before the main discussions in Geneva, Lammy said there was a two-week window to find a diplomatic solution and prevent the situation in the Middle East from worsening.
He urged all parties to act quickly to avoid a wider conflict.
Lammy met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff’s special envoy to the White House, before Friday talks in Geneva with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as his French, German and European counterparts.
The diplomatic push comes as European countries call for de -escalation in the face of the Israeli bombing campaign against the Iranian nuclear program – and as American president Donald Trump, plans to join the strikes in Tehran.
“The situation in the Middle East remains perilous,” Lammy said in a statement published by the UK Embassy in Washington.
“We have discussed how Iran must conclude an agreement to avoid a conflict of deepening. A window now exists in the next two weeks to obtain a diplomatic solution,” he said.
“Tomorrow, I will go to Geneva to meet the Iranian Foreign Minister alongside my French, German and European counterparts,” added the British minister.
“It is now time to put an end to the serious scenes of the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation which would not benefit anyone.”
The US State Department said Lammy and Rubio had “agreed that Iran could never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon”.
European growth for diplomacy
Araghchi confirmed earlier that he “would meet the European delegation in Geneva on Friday”, in a statement released by the Iranian news agency Irna.
The talks should include Lammy, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jean-No Barrot, the German Minister of Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul and the head of the EU foreign policy, Kaja Kallas.
Trump said he was still weigning military action against Iranian nuclear installations, while Israel continues air strikes and Tehran responds to missile attacks.
France, Germany, Great Britain and the European Union were all signatories of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, from which Trump retired during his first mandate.
The Kallas of the EU, in coordination with the European powers, insisted that diplomacy remains the best way to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that European nations planned to propose a negotiated solution to end the Iran-Israel conflict. He asked his Minister of Foreign Affairs to work with “close partners” on such an initiative.
Barrot has remained in regular contact with its German and British counterparts since Israel launched its large -scale air strikes in Iran last Friday.
“We are ready to participate in negotiations aimed at obtaining from Iran a lasting decline in its nuclear and ballistic missile programs,” said Barrot.
Israel maintains that its air campaign aims to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran has enriched uranium at 60% – well above the limit of 3.67% set by the 2015 agreement, but still below the 90% required for a nuclear warhead. Tehran denies that he builds nuclear weapons.
