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Israel’s military chief warned of a “prolonged campaign” against Iran, even as European foreign ministers held talks with their Iranian counterpart in an effort to end the war and convince Donald Trump’s administration to stay out of the conflict.
A person briefed on the negotiations in Geneva said the French, German and UK ministers warned Iran it may have to give up its red line of refusing to negotiate with the Trump administration while under Israeli attack to “prevent the US from joining the operation”.
“Both Israel and the US have agreed with our position that peace can only be achieved through diplomacy,” the person said. “However, we told [the Iranians] that US military intervention is something that is actually being planned right now.”
The person added that “we sent them away to think very carefully about their red line”.
The negotiations — the first direct contact between western and Iranian officials since Israel launched its attack a week ago — were held a day after the White House said Trump would decide “within the next two weeks” whether Washington would enter the war.
The European ministers — David Lammy of the UK, Germany’s Johann Wadephul and Jean-Noël Barrot of France — said in a statement they shared their “grave concerns” about the escalation in the Middle East, adding that “all sides should refrain from taking steps which lead to further escalation”.
Tehran had been holding indirect talks with the US over its expansive nuclear programme. But Israel’s decision to launch a large-scale attack against the Islamic republic last week upended those diplomatic efforts, 48 hours before a sixth round of negotiations were due to be held.
Iran has since insisted it would not negotiate with the US while under fire.
After the talks in Geneva, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was “ready to consider diplomacy once again, once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed”.
He added the Islamic republic’s “defence capabilities were not negotiable”, but said Tehran supported continued discussions with the European countries.
As the talks were taking place on Friday, Israeli Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told soldiers “the campaign is not over” despite strikes that have targeted Iran’s nuclear sites, missile launch capabilities and killed many of its military commanders.
“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,” Zamir said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has always opposed western diplomatic efforts, has vowed to maintain the assault on Iran as long as necessary to destroy Tehran’s nuclear programme and missile capability. Iran has maintained that its uranium enrichment is part of a peaceful energy programme.
Ahead of the talks, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, said the European countries had prepared a “comprehensive negotiation offer”.
But in a sign of the challenges the diplomatic push faces, Macron said the negotiations had to move towards zero uranium enrichment, which Iranian officials have also insisted is a red line.
The French president said the talks would also include limiting Iran’s missile activity and financing of terrorist groups.
The stance means the European position is now closer than before to Trump, who has called for the complete dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear programme. France, Germany and the UK are signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord Tehran signed with world powers, which Trump abandoned in his first presidential term.
Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire on Friday, with Israeli strikes hitting western Tehran. The Islamic republic fired 20 missiles at Israel that targeted the northern port city of Haifa and central parts of the nation, according to the Israeli authorities, but there were no reports of deaths.
The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog on Friday warned Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear sites had caused a “sharp degradation in nuclear safety and security in Iran”.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said although the strikes had “not so far led to a radiological release affecting the public, there is a danger this could occur”.
Israel has targeted Natanz, one of the two Iranian sites at the centre of the nuclear dispute, causing damage to its underground facilities.
But Grossi said the level of radioactivity outside Natanz, in central Iran, had “remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact on the population or the environment”.
He said the IAEA was not aware of any damage at Iran’s Fordow site, which is buried deep beneath a mountain and where the country is enriching uranium close to weapons-grade.
Analysts say it is unlikely Israel would have the military capability to destroy Fordow without the US’s intervention.
Additional reporting by Leila Abboud, Nikou Asgari and Anne-Sylvaine Chassany
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