We’re hearing more now from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who has been involved in talks today in Geneva.
Lammy says he was there with his European counterparts discussing “our absolute firmness” that Iran “cannot have nuclear capability that would
endanger the immediate Middle East but also the global community”.
“We had constructive discussions today and we will continue”, he says.
He adds that the delegation also “urged” the Iranians to “get back into discussions” with the US – referring to talks between Iran and the US on Iran’s nuclear programme.
Lammy says that in today’s discussions, he and the European foreign ministers were “very clear” that “zero enrichment” of uranium is the “starting point”.
Iran’s foreign minister has also been speaking after talks in Geneva.
Abbas Araghchi tells reporters that Iran is “ready to consider diplomacy once again once the aggression is stopped” and “the aggressor is held accountable for the heinous crimes committed”.
He goes on to say that Iran’s nuclear programme is peaceful, and that attacks on it are a violation of international law, adding that Iran will continue to “exercise its legitimate right of self-defence”.
“I make it crystal clear that Iran’s defence capabilities are non-negotiable,” he says.
Also speaking after talks, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot says that they do not think there is a “definitive solution” militarily to the “Iranian nuclear problem”.
“The Iranian Foreign Minister has indicated his willingness to continue these discussions on the nuclear program and, more broadly, on all issues,” he tells the gathered media.
“And we expect Iran to be open to discussion, including with the United States, to reach a negotiated settlement through dialogue”, he says.
Meanwhile German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says it is “our common endeavour to avoid further escalation” in the Middle East and to “make progress with negotiations”.
Reuters
In brief comments to the media after talks finished, the vice-president of the European Commission says regional escalation “benefits no one” and that is why “we need to keep discussions open”.
Kaja Kallas adds that both parties agreed to discuss nuclear and “broader issues”.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy says that “we were clear, Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon”.
He adds that him and his fellow European foreign ministers are “keen” to continue “ongoing discussions” on negotiations with Iran.
“We urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States,” Lammy says, adding that “this is a perilous moment” and it’s “hugely important” we don’t see a regional escalation of the conflict between Iran and Israel.
The meeting between European foreign ministers and an Iranian delegation in Geneva has come to an end.
They’ve been holding talks today as part of efforts to ease the conflict between Iran and Israel.
European leaders are just giving a statement now, we’ll bring you all the key lines from that shortly.
We can share with you this footage now of the European and Iranian delegations meeting ahead of talks in Geneva.
Representatives from the UK, France, Germany and the EU are there. We’ll bring you the latest lines from the meeting as soon as we get them.
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent, reporting from Geneva
The mood is grim at this luxury Geneva hotel where talks between European foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart are continuing into the evening.
The high-stakes talks taking place here in Switzerland could determine the course of an escalating war.
This is the first time Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has met some of his western counterparts face to face since Israel attacked his country a week ago. Before he joined them, he addressed the UN Human Rights Council here.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, issued a statement expressing his vehement objection that Araghchi was given the floor at the council – a small spat compared to the major military escalation unfolding on the ground in both countries.
These Geneva talks are seen as a last gasp effort to find a negotiated way out.
Sources say Iran is being told its nuclear enrichment must end completely – a demand it has always rejected, insisting it violates its right to a peaceful nuclear programme.
But that’s a US ultimatum too.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy flew into Geneva on an overnight flight from Washington with a clear message to convey here.
Tehran may confront a stark choice – keeping its nuclear programme or keeping America’s military might out of this perilous conflict.
Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin says that a solution to the Iran-Israel conflict can be found, and that Moscow is talking to both sides, according to reporting from our colleagues at BBC Monitoring.
Speaking at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, the president says “we have some proposals with our participation.
“We are in no way, I would even like to draw attention to this, we are not seeking mediation, we are simply offering ideas.”
Putin adds that “acceptable solutions can definitely be found for both countries. In my opinion, such a solution exists”.
Reuters
We’re hearing now from the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF’s) Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, who says the Israeli military “does not stand idly by in the face of developing threats”.
Zamir says Israel are “in the midst of a multi-front war”, citing a visit to the Gaza Strip, as well as to see sites in Israel hit by Iranian strikes.
He adds: “The IDF is prepared. Day by day, our freedom to operate is expanding, and the enemy’s is narrowing.”
“We have embarked on
the most complex campaign in our history to remove a threat of such magnitude,
against such an enemy, we must be ready for a prolonged campaign.”
Raffi Berg
Middle East digital editor
Reuters
Only a handful of countries have nuclear weapons: the UK,
US, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan
and North Korea. Israel is widely believed to have them but
neither confirms nor denies this.
So, why can some countries have them and others can’t?
The answer lies in a 1968 pact called the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
It says countries can have civilian
nuclear programmes, but that no more countries should get nuclear weapons than
already have them. The NPT is legally binding and the vast majority of
countries signed up to it – including Iran.
However, Israel, India, Pakistan and South Sudan have not
signed it, and North Korea has since pulled out.
India and Pakistan were not recognised as
nuclear weapon states when the treaty began and they would be required to
disarm if they joined it now. South Sudan is a relatively new country with no
nuclear programme.
Israel has not signed because it pursues a policy of nuclear
ambiguity as a tactic against foes and does not allow inspections of its
nuclear facilities, which would be required under the NPT.
Iran, Arab countries and others have long demanded that
Israel be pressured into disarming and being transparent about its nuclear
programme, viewing Israel’s supposed arsenal as a source of regional tension
and a threat.
Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons and does not
possess any, though many countries are not convinced by Iran’s claim of
peaceful intentions.
In 2002 it was discovered to have had a secret nuclear
programme not allowed under the NPT, triggering a years-long crisis which in
large part led to today’s events.
Reuters
As European diplomatic talks with Iran continue in Geneva, let’s take a moment to look back at what was said before they began.
French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its European allies will present Iran with a diplomatic proposal to end the conflict with Israel, but Iran “must show willingness” – we’ve broken down the four main components of his proposal.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution”, after US President Donald Trump said he would decide whether to join Israeli strikes on Iran within a fortnight.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, said he expects European foreign ministers to demand a “complete rollback” of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said his country won’t enter negotiations with the US until Israeli strikes stop, state media reports.
While the talks in Geneva continue, so does the exchange of fire between Israel and Iran – with Israel hit by a new round of Iranian strikes this afternoon.
We’re waiting to hear more from the diplomatic talks in Geneva and will bring you the latest developments as we get them.
Lyse Doucet
Chief international correspondent, reporting from Geneva
Back to Geneva now, where talks between European foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart continue.
Sources say the Iranian delegation at the Geneva talks has asked for a short break for consultations.
The discussions involving foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and France, as well as the EU’s foreign policy chief, had been going on for an hour and a half.
Sources say a message is being conveyed to Iran during this high stakes meeting that it must accept zero enrichment – a demand it has repeatedly rejected as a red line which violates its right to a peaceful nuclear programme.
Israel’s emergency services says that dozens of people have been injured in the north of the country, following the latest round of attacks from Iran.
Three people are in a serious condition, Magen David Adom (MDA) says, including a 40-year-old man, a 16-year-old boy and a 54-year-old man.
Another 20 are in a “mild condition”, MDA says, suffering from various blast injuries and shrapnel wounds.
It adds that a 51-year-old woman died in a shelter in Karmiel after suffering a heart attack.
The UK says it is withdrawing staff from its embassy in Tehran, citing the current security situation.
“We have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily withdraw our UK staff from Iran,” the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office says in a statement.
“Our embassy continues to operate remotely.”
Earlier in the week, the UK said it was temporarily withdrawing the family members of staff at its embassy and consulate in Israel due to safety concerns.
Getty Images
Delivering his opening remarks at a meeting of the UN Security Council, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warns that with the continuation of the conflict between Israel and Iran the world is “racing towards” a crisis.
“The expansion of this conflict could light a fire that no one can control,” he says.
Guterres adds that he believes at the centre of the conflict is “the nuclear question”.
“Iran has repeatedly stated that it is not seeking nuclear weapons. But let’s recognise there is a trust gap,” he says.
“I appeal to an end to the fighting and the return to serious negotiations.”
While diplomatic talks are underway in Geneva, members of the UN Security Council are meeting in New York to discuss the conflict between Israel and Iran.
We’ll bring you any key lines from that meeting as we get them.
Frank Gardner
Security correspondent
A senior Israeli government official, who has asked not to be quoted by name, says Israel is not opposed to Iran having a civil nuclear programme, but that it cannot be allowed to enrich uranium inside its borders.
There was no reason, he says, why this could not be done by another country.
He says Israel took this view because once enrichment was underway in Iran, it was a simple matter for it to go well beyond the 3.67% enrichment level needed for peaceful electricity generation.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, says Iran had amassed 400kg of uranium enriched up to 60%.
The suggestion that Iran’s uranium could be safely enriched outside the country was reportedly exactly what was being suggested by President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, during negotiations with the Iranians before this conflict began.
Asked what evidence Israel had that Iran had been “racing to build a bomb” – a claim repeated many times since 1995 – the official says three months ago Iran had enough highly-enriched uranium to build six bombs.
Last week, before Israel began its air campaign, he says that capability had jumped to nine bombs.
The news agency AFP reports that diplomatic talks between European foreign ministers and their Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi have begun.
Earlier, the news agency Reuters was reporting Araghchi had arrived at the venue in Geneva, after giving a speech at the UN Human Rights Council.
Top diplomats from the UK, Germany, France and the EU are in Switzerland to meet Araqchi in the hopes of finding a diplomatic solution to ease the Iran-Israel conflict.
Imogen Foulkes
Reporting from Geneva
Reuters
Back in Geneva, and Iran’s foreign minister has warned that Israel’s attack on
his country is a ‘”historic moment for human civilisation” in which countries
must stand up for international law.
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council, Abbas Araghchi says Israel attacked his country in the “midst of an
ongoing diplomatic process” with the US about Iran’s nuclear capability – a
process he says has been “promising”.
He describes Israel’s surprise attack as “an outrageous act of aggression”, a “stark violation of the UN charter,” which
defied ‘the standards this council stands for.’
Araghchi was speaking ahead
of talks with the foreign ministers of the UK, France and Germany designed to
de-escalate the conflict between Iran and Israel, and return to diplomatic
negotiations on Iran’s nuclear capability.
But as the talks are due to begin, the two
sides seem far apart: Israel has said it has not achieved all of its goals in Iran
yet, and plans to continue its attacks.
Iran insists it has a right to develop
peaceful nuclear power, something Israel appears unlikely to accept.
Dan Johnson
Reporting from Beersheba
The air raid siren sounded just as I finished speaking to Michael
Pollock whose apartment was damaged here this morning.
An Iranian missile hit
the car park at 06:30 local time (04:30 BST) in front of these residential blocks in Beersheba. The
windows are smashed, the balconies hanging off.
An excavator had just finishing
filling in the crater. Seven people were injured here this morning.
Now we’re sheltering in the basement of the ruined blocks with the
emergency teams and construction workers who were just starting the clear up.
Alerts are in place right across the country but Beersheba feels particularly
vulnerable – the hospital here was hit yesterday, injuring more than 70 people.
Michael had just told me that he supported continued Israeli
military action against Iran and he wanted the US to back it with more powerful
weapons. “If we stop now we did it for nothing,” he says.
“They will have nukes and then
we’re done” he tells me, before his city came under attack for a third time in
two days.
When I asked Michael if he feared continuing conflict would mean
more attacks, more damage and injury, he says “I’m sure bad things will
continue to happen until the people who try to destroy us are no more”.