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Europeans see 'opportunity' for diplomacy as they meet Iran's top diplomat
Iran's foreign minister plans to meet in Geneva on Friday with leading European counterparts, who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the week-old military conflict that has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who will meet Iran's Abbas Araghchi together with his French and German counterparts and the European Union's foreign policy chief, said that a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.
The talks will be the first face-to-face meeting between Western and Iranian officials since the start of the conflict.
Lammy is traveling to Geneva after meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's Mideast envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's bunker-buster bombs.
He said Wednesday that he'll decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the war given the substantial chance for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no one, Lammy said.
Israel says it launched its airstrike campaign last week to stop Iran from getting closer to being able to build a nuclear weapon. Iran and the United States had been negotiating over the possibility of a new diplomatic deal over Tehran's programme, though Trump has said Israel's campaign came after a 60-day window he set for the talks.
Iran's supreme leader rejected US calls for surrender Wednesday and warned that any military involvement by the Americans would cause irreparable damage to them.
Iran has long insisted its nuclear programme is peaceful, though it was the only non-nuclear-armed state to enrich uranium up to 60 per cent, a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.
The three European countries, commonly referred to as the E3, played an important role in the negotiations over the original 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. But they have repeatedly threatened to reinstate sanctions that were lifted under the deal if Iran does not improve its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Germany's foreign minister acknowledged that years of efforts to relieve concerns about the possibility of Iran developing a nuclear weapon haven't succeeded, but said it's worth talking now.
It is our commitment once again to undertake a very intensive attempt to dissuade Iran permanently from pursuing such plans, Johann Wadephul said in a podcast released by broadcaster MDR on Friday. If there is serious and transparent readiness by Iran to refrain from this, then there is a real chance of preventing a further escalation of this conflict, and for that every conversation makes sense.
Wadephul said US officials not only know that we are conducting these talks but are very much in agreement with us doing so so I think Iran should now know that it should conduct these talks with a new seriousness and reliability.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot spoke by phone with Rubio on Thursday evening.
A French diplomatic official, who was not allowed to speak publicly on the issue, said Barrot detailed the purposes of the Geneva meeting and Rubio stressed that the US was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time.
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Business Standard
22 minutes ago
- Business Standard
What Happens if Trump Decides to Strike Iran or Assassinate Its Leader?
If President Trump decides to send American bombers to help Israel destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility in Iran, it will likely kick off a more dangerous phase in the war. And if the United States assassinates Iran's supreme leader, as Trump hinted was possible, there are no guarantees he will be replaced by a friendlier leader. Iran's autocratic clerical leadership, which has ruled for nearly half a century since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, has proved its staying power, even in the face of multiple domestic uprisings. Demolishing Fordo, the enrichment site buried deep in a mountain, may not obliterate Iran's nuclear program and could lead the country to broaden the war or accelerate that program. Here are some ways it could play out if the United States enters the war. Iran could negotiate Before Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran's nuclear program and other targets last week, Iran and the United States were discussing limits on Iran's uranium enrichment program. It was rapidly producing fuel close to the levels needed for nuclear weapons, and in exchange for new limits on the program, Iran would win relief from economic sanctions. The two sides were nowhere near a final agreement, but signs of a possible compromise had emerged by early June. When Israel attacked Iran, the negotiations collapsed. Yet Iran has signaled that it remains willing to talk, and even a strike on Fordo would not necessarily wipe out prospects of a return to the negotiating table. If the Trump administration follows an attack on Iran with an enticing offer, such as large-scale sanctions relief or peace guarantees, there is still a chance that Iran would consider making concessions, said Vali Nasr, an Iran expert and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. 'Is there an offer on the table that the Iranian people in this moment can actually rally around?' he said. 'If it's only a stick, then they're going to fight.' So far, Trump has not extended many carrots. He called in a social media post on Tuesday for Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER.' Iran may lean into nuclear activity All eyes are on Fordo. But it is possible that Iran has secret nuclear sites aimed at producing weapons that the United States and Israel do not know about, though no public evidence has emerged of such places. If they do exist, Iran could use whatever it has left to try to accelerate its nuclear program in the wake an American attack. With the damage Israeli airstrikes have done to nuclear facilities and the killings of top nuclear scientists, Iran probably lacks the capacity to build a nuclear weapon quickly, analysts said. Still, it could move in that direction and would have fresh incentive to do so. 'You would begin to see that broader escalation that they've held back on,' said Sanam Vakil, the director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House. After all, Iran would have few other options left for deterring future attacks, she added. Iran's Parliament has publicly discussed a withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The treaty, of which Israel is not a signatory, currently requires Iran to submit to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency and other transparency obligations and to commit to not building a nuclear bomb. So far, the government has reiterated its longstanding insistence that Iran's nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes. But Iran has firmly refused to capitulate to a central American demand that it give up uranium enrichment, saying it has the right to a civilian nuclear program. The war could get bigger and messier Over the past week, Iran has avoided striking American troops or other targets that could pull the United States into the war. Its leaders may still be hoping to make a deal with the Trump administration to end the conflict and wary of taking on the US military on top of Israel's. Though Iran has responded to Israeli attacks with missiles and threats of its own, it has refrained from hitting American troops or bases in the Middle East. It has also not struck Arab countries allied with the United States, such as Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates. Nor has it sent global oil prices soaring by sealing off or harassing traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil shipping channel to Iran's south. But at least one Iranian official has warned that Iran could do so if the United States enters the war. And Iran's allied militias in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and armed groups in Iraq, have not joined the fight. Many of them have been seriously weakened over the past two years. But those Iranian allies could still join the fray if the Trump administration decides to strike. If the United States tries to force Iran to capitulate, 'Iran will keep hitting until the end of the missile capabilities,' said Ellie Geranmayeh, an Iran expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Talk of regime change Trump said on social media this week that the United States is weighing whether to kill Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but had decided 'not for now.' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said in a Fox News interview this week that changing Iran's regime 'could certainly be the result' of this war. Even if the United States assassinates Khamenei, however, the religious-military establishment that has tightly held power in Iran for nearly five decades may not fall. With a war raging, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the most powerful branch of Iran's military, could seize control of the country, said Nasr, the professor. They might put in place a more Western-friendly government, or, more likely, replace Khamenei with a more extreme figure who would dig in for a long fight, Nasr added. If the military does not assert itself quickly, some analysts fear that Iran could plunge into chaos or civil war as different factions struggle for control. But they see little chance for Iran's liberal opposition, which has been weakened and brutally repressed by the regime, to prevail. Iran's people could rise up again Netanyahu encouraged the Iranian people last week to capitalize on Israel's attacks on their government and 'rise up' against their 'evil and oppressive regime.' Iranians have staged mass protests against clerical rule several times in recent history, most recently with the 'Women, Life, Freedom' demonstrations of late 2022. Each time, the opposition has faced a harsh crackdown by government security forces. Some Iranians so despise the clerical leaders that they have at times looked to Israel as an ally and openly hoped for the United States to install new leadership. Some Iranian opponents of the regime cheered Israel's initial attacks on Iran, which they saw as more evidence of their government's incompetence and mismanagement. But the growing death toll, the attacks on civilian infrastructure and the panic gripping Iranian cities are hardening many in the country against Israel. Iranian social media platforms have been full of patriotic posts in recent days, expressing unity against foreign intervention, if not exactly support for the regime.
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
MAGA hates you: Trump fumes at Fox News, WSJ over approval ratings and Iran coverage
Friends can become enemies in a heartbeat. This happened to Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, a long-time supporter of US President Donald Trump, after it gave lower approval ratings to the US President. As for Murdoch's Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the US President disagreed with their coverage of took to Truth Social to discuss Fox's "long-standing bias" and "faulty election polls", and criticised the WSJ for its reporting on America's plan on Crooked FoxNews Polls got the Election WRONG, I won by much more than they said I would, and have been biased against me for years. They are always wrong and negative. It's why MAGA HATES FoxNews, even though their anchors are GREAT (sic)," Trump posted on Truth Social. Trump blasted the network over what he called a "fake border poll" and also accused it of using "discredited pollsters despite repeated inaccuracies". The poll, released on Wednesday, indicated that 46% of respondents approve of Trump's performance, while 54% expressed disapproval."This has gone on for years, but they never change the incompetent polling company that does their work. Now a new FoxNews poll comes out this morning giving me a little more than 50% at the Border, and yet the Border is miraculously perfect. NOBODY WAS ABLE TO COME LAST MONTH. 60,000 people came in with Sleepy Joe in the same month last year (sic)," he a follow-up post, he came down heavily on Murdoch's flagship newspaper, WSJ, after it reported on Wednesday that the US was planning to attack Iran, but was holding off in a last-ditch hope to persuading the Iranians to voluntarily abandon their nuclear ambitions."The Wall Street Journal has no idea what my thoughts are concerning Iran! (sic)" Trump wrote on in the Fox Poll, Donald Trump's lowest numbers were actually on the topic of inflation, with 64% disapproving of his handling of this key economic issue, and just 34% approving, according to The Daily his outburst was particularly over how he was being rated on the relationship with Fox News, traditionally supportive of him, and The Wall Street Journal, which has both applauded and criticised his policies, has been long and this year, Trump hosted Murdoch himself in the Oval Office, where he referred to the media mogul as "legendary" and "one of the most talented people in the world", while also musing that he would need to "talk to" Murdoch about the Journal's coverage of his administration, according to a New York-based news website, Media Lucas, professor of international politics at University College Dublin, said Trump's decision to bring the military into Los Angeles to deal with protests also harmed his rating due to the method Fox poll is going to get headlines in part because it's Fox, where you have a lot of Trump supporters, in part because the numbers are so stark, and in part because of Trump's angry reaction on social media," Newsweek quoted Lucas as noted that Trump's poll numbers (on Fox News) have been fluctuating, with a notable decline in April due to concerns over the economy, trade, inflation, and the negative impact of his tariff added that deploying the military in Los Angeles to handle protests also hurt Trump's approval, even among those who support his immigration policy but disagreed with the approach. 'He's slipping' on migration, Lucas said, according to InMust Watch
India Today
22 minutes ago
- India Today
Mapping US military posture in West Asia as Trump mulls Iran attack
As President Donald Trump decides whether to join Israel's attack on Iran, the American armed forces have made a series of manoeuvres to adjust the US defence posture in West Asia amid the ongoing conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv. advertisementAccording to open-source evidence, US officials, and media reports, more than 15 destroyer ships, cruisers, oilers, logistics ships, and a carrier strike group (CSG) Carl Vinson, are currently operating in the Central Command's (CENTCOM) areas of responsibility in the Arabian Sea and Red Sea. Another carrier strike group, the crown of US naval power, has also been diverted to West Asia, as per USNI News. CSG Nimitz (CVN-68) was sailing in the Malacca Strait three days ago, as per ship tracking data. Six more ships, including two destroyers, are deployed in the Mediterranean Sea to support MOVED TO AVOID IRANIAN ATTACKadvertisementThe US has also made some moves to protect its vulnerable naval and air assets in the Persian Gulf. Satellite images suggest the US has moved unsheltered fighter jets and aircraft from its largest air base in West Asia, Al Udeid air base in Qatar, to safer locations. Navy ships have also been dispersed from the US-West joint naval base in Bahrain, called the Naval Support Activity (NSA). Credit: European Space Agency (ESA) The military assets were moved away from their original places in anticipation of an Iranian attack on the US forces. After Israel's attack, Iran has threatened to attack US forces, citing Washington's continued political, diplomatic, and military support to Tel Aviv. Credit: European Space Agency (ESA) US TROOPS IN WEST ASIAThe US maintains more than 11,000 on-ground military personnel across West Asia. As per the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the US maintains eight permanent and 11 temporary or rotational military bases in the of 2024, there were around 5,400 permanent US troops, and more than 6100 service members were deployed on a rotational basis in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Nearly 3500 US troops are deployed in Bahrain alone, as per the Congressional Research Service The US regularly makes adjustments to its troop deployment as per the situation. For example, it deployed additional forces when Yemen's Houthis were targeting Red Sea shipping lines and pulled some non-essential personnel before the Israeli attacks earlier this from these troops, thousands of others were present on the carrier strike group (CSG) and other ships in the IN A CARRIER STRIKE GROUP?A carrier strike group (CSG) is a principal element of US power, holding enough firepower to rival the air forces of many for being powerful, mobile, flexible, independent and sustainable, a carrier strike group typically contains roughly 7,500 sailors and marines. An aircraft carrier serves as the platform for flight operations and also forms the nucleus of a carrier strike group. Every aircraft carrier of the CSG is nuclear-powered, which means it can remain on the high seas for a longer period. advertisementA CSG contains five different types of ships: a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, a replenishment ship, a cruiser, destroyers, and an attack 66 aircraft and helicopters are typically deployed on board a carrier strike group's ships, including fighter jets, Growlers for electronic warfare, Hawkeyes for surveillance, C-2 Greyhound for transporting supplies from the shore, and helicopters. Typically, five types of ships are part of a carrier strike group The CSG is meant to 'achieve and sustain air, sea and undersea control, respond to crises and protect the United States' interests anywhere, anytime,' reads an infographic published by Huntington Ingalls Industries, the sole builder of US Navy aircraft MILITARY BUILD-UPThe operations of two carrier strike groups in close proximity are quite unusual and signal the Trump administration's preparedness for any eventualities as the Israel-Iran conflict escalates further. The deployment comes amid growing indications that President Donald Trump has been warming up to the idea of joining Israel to strike some of Iran's nuclear sites. 'I may, I may not. Nobody knows what I'll do,' he told reporters when asked if he would order US forces to strike Iran. Fordow is situated nearly 120-km southwest of capital Tehran. advertisementThe US military role is crucial for destroying Iran's Fordow underground nuclear enrichment facility, which the United Nations' nuclear watchdog says has enriched Uranium up to 83.7 per cent facility is located 80-90 meters below the surface in a mountainous area. To destroy this facility, US B-2 Stealth bombers will need to drop GBU-57A/B 'bunker buster' bombs. Tune In IN THIS STORY#United States of America#Donald Trump
