Israel-Iran conflict: Europe's diplomats push for solution as talks begin in Geneva
Iran's foreign minister will sit down with his European counterparts for talks in Geneva. The outreach to Tehran comes after the US issued a two-week deadline to decide on its possible involvement in Israel's bombing campaign against Iran. Will Denselow reports from Brussels.
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Straits Times
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Israel slams UN rights council for giving floor to Iran
FILE PHOTO: The flags alley is seen outside the United Nations building during the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File photo The sign at Iran's representative seat is placed in the room before a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Delegates watch, as Iran's Foreign Minister Araghchi addresses a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addresses a special session of the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2025. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse GENEVA - Israel's ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva has raised "vehement objection" to Iran addressing the Human Rights Council ahead of talks with European counterparts in Geneva to try to de-escalate the Israel-Iran conflict, according to a letter seen by Reuters. "Affording the Iranian foreign minister the floor before this body continues to undermine the council's credibility and constitutes a blatant betrayal of the many victims of this regime worldwide," Daniel Meron said in a letter addressed to council president Jurg Lauber. The council said on Friday Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was due to be given the floor. Shortly afterwards, he was due to hold talks with the European Union foreign policy chief and his counterparts in Britain, France and Germany in order to de-escalate the conflict. In the letter, Meron accuses Iran of using the council as a international stage to "promote the regime's despotic campaign." On Wednesday, the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. in Geneva addressed the council and accused Israeli attacks as representing an act of "war against humanity". The rights council media office shared minutes from a meeting on Thursday, which stated that Lauber had granted Araghchi permission to address members in accordance with U.N. rules allowing exceptional addresses to the council by heads of state or senior ministers. Israel began attacking Iran last Friday, saying it aimed to prevent its longtime enemy from developing nuclear weapons. Iran retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel. It says its nuclear programme is peaceful. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
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Iran fires more missiles into Israel and casts doubt on Europe-led talks
Iran fires more missiles into Israel and casts doubt on Europe-led talks TEHRAN – Iran sent a barrage of missiles into Israel on June 20 that struck several places, according to Israeli broadcasters and the country's main emergency service. Two people were severely injured in the northern city of Haifa, the service's director said in a television interview, and broadcast footage showed debris near one of the impact sites in central Haifa. Both sides traded fire even as European ministers were meeting with Iran's top diplomat in Switzerland to try to cool the week-old conflict. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran was not interested in negotiating an end to the war until Israel stopped its attacks. A day after US President Donald Trump said he would put off a decision on whether to join Israel's attacks for two weeks to give diplomacy a chance, Mr Araghchi said in an interview with Iranian state broadcaster IRIB that 'we have clearly said that there is no room for talking until this aggression stops'. Earlier, Israel announced overnight strikes on missile factories and a research centre linked to Iran's nuclear programme. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said he has ordered the Israeli military to increase its attacks on Iranian government targets to 'destabilise the regime', deter it from firing at Israel and displace the population of Tehran, the Iranian capital. The Iranian missile barrage on June 20 wounded at least 17 people, three of them seriously, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's main emergency service. The Israeli fire and rescue service said it dispatched teams to seven places in southern Israel where it received reports that missiles or missile fragments fell. In a demonstration after Friday prayers in Tehran, thousands of people protested over the Israeli attacks, with some trampling or burning American and Israeli flags, video from the scene showed. In the eighth day of the fighting, the war's trajectory remained uncertain. Mr Trump walked back suggestions on June 19 that the United States was about to join Israel's attacks, announcing a window of up to two weeks to reach a diplomatic solution. That dashed Israeli hopes of a swift climax to the war. Israel seeks to destroy Iran's nuclear enrichment programme, and its leaders had hoped Mr Trump would soon send US bombers to destroy an underground enrichment site deemed largely impermeable to the kinds of munitions in Israel's arsenal. Now, Israel must decide whether to wait for US military support or use its own, less powerful missiles to attack the site. The talks in Geneva on June 20 are aimed at reaching a third option: a grand diplomatic compromise in which Iran would agree to enough limits on its nuclear programme to satisfy Israel. Mr Araghchi was meeting with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany, as well as the European Union's top diplomat. In the interview on June 20, Mr Araghchi said his country would not talk to the US, calling it 'a partner in this crime'. But he said he was willing to hear what the European officials had to say. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
