War between Israel and Iran: Europeans want to continue negotiations with Iran

After a good four -hour negotiations with their Iranian colleague Abbas Araghtschi, the Foreign Minister of Germany, France and Great Britain consider further discussions with Tehran about a diplomatic solution to the nuclear conflict. “The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is fundamentally willing to continue talking about all important questions,” said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul after the meeting in Geneva.

Iran wants to continue the talks. “We support the continuation of the discussions with the three European countries and the European Union and are ready to hold another meeting in the near future,” said Araghtschi, according to the state news agency Irna. However, he emphasized: “As long as the attacks on Israel continue, we will not negotiate with any party.”

However, it is still open whether US President Donald Trump will soon be actively involved in the conflict on the page of Israel. And also whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be ready for negotiations with the arch enemy Iran about the end of the war.

A week after the beginning of the war, WadePhul, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and the British Foreign Minister David Lammy for the first time tried to explore opportunities for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear conflict with Araghtschi. In parallel to severe mutual attacks by Israel and Iran, the European chief diplomats in Switzerland tried to clarify whether Iran is willing to give in to his nuclear program and to avoid nuclear weapons.

US President Trump had explained his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt the evening before that he wanted to decide against the background of the upcoming negotiations within the next two weeks whether the United States would intervene in war as the most important ally of Israel.

WadePhul emphasizes the importance of the USA for negotiation solution

WadePhul spoke of very serious conversations. “The whole region is in an extraordinarily critical situation, and it is our endeavor to avoid further escalation and to get in negotiations.” It is important for Europeans that they would be involved in these talks. “But above all, it is of great importance that the United States of America are involved in these negotiations and a solution,” he added.

“Existential threat to the state of Israel must be removed”

The Europeans are very concerned about Iran’s nuclear program, said WadePhul. Germany is particularly committed to the security interests of the state of Israel. “Iran is an existential threat to the state of Israel, and this existential threat to the state of Israel, which has to be eliminated,” emphasized Wadephul then emphasized in ZDF “today Journal”. “In my view, in this dangerous situation, the fastest and most effective on the negotiating channels.”

Lammy: This is a dangerous moment

Lammy said that the talks and negotiations with Tehran are striving to continue. “This is a dangerous moment,” he said. He added: “It is of enormous importance that we do not experience any regional escalation of this conflict – both because of the consequences that this would have for all of us, as well as for the people at home who are worried about the cost of living during this time.”

Barrot also said that the Europeans were expecting willingness to talk to the United States from Iran in order to achieve a negotiating solution through dialogue in the current crisis situation. The risk of the Middle East region, but also for Europe, through the war between Israel and Iran, is considerable.

The EU foreign commissioner Kaja Kallas also participated in the talks. The Europeans initially came together among themselves in the residence of the German disarmament ambassador.

Air Force flies out of Israel directly from Israel

Meanwhile, the Air Force flew several dozen German citizens from Israel. Two Airbus A400M propeller machines with 64 people on board were currently on the way from Tel Aviv to Germany, the Ministry of Defense and the Federal Foreign Office announced in the evening. Because of the war, airspace in both countries is actually closed to air traffic. First the “mirror” had reported about it.

It is the first time in the current conflict that Germans are flown out by the Bundeswehr – previously there were two charter flights, which, however, not in Israel but in Jordan. Longer bus or car trips were necessary for the trip there, which those affected had to organize themselves.

Iran’s Foreign Minister: Anyone who justifies Israel’s attack is accomplice

Araghtschi had called on the international community before the meeting with the Europeans in the UN Human Rights Council to condemn Israel’s attacks to his country. “Any justification of this unjust and criminal war would be a complicity,” he said. The Iranian accused Israel of war crimes and crimes against humanity because of his procedure in the Gaza Strip.

Mutual heavy attacks continue

Regardless of the conversations in Geneva, Israel and Iran continued to attack each other. In the Israeli city of Haifa, at least 23 people were injured in an attack, according to the Israeli emergency services, David Adom, three of them. Iranian media also reported an Israeli attack on the port city of Buschehr, in which the country’s only nuclear power plant is located.

Switzerland and Great Britain close messages in Tehran

Great Britain and Switzerland, which have also represented the diplomatic interests of the United States in Iran for decades, concluded their messages in Tehran. The British announced that the embassy staff temporarily withdraw from Iran because of the security situation. The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the decision was made “given the intensity of military operations in Iran and the extremely unstable situation”.

UNHCR prepares crisis plans for refugees from Iran

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is preparing for larger refugee groups from Iran. “We create crisis plans,” said UNHCR boss Filippo Grandi of the German Press Agency. There are already unconfirmed reports on incoming refugees from Iran in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, said Grandi.

According to official information in Israel, 24 people have been killed by the Iranian attacks and more than 800 have been injured. According to the human rights network Hrana based in the USA, more than 650 people have been killed in Iran; More than 2,000 were injured. The activists rely on informants and publicly accessible sources. The government itself does not publish figures for injuries and fatalities.