Iran, Europeans to keep talking as tensions ratchet up

GENEVA: Iran, Britain, France and Germany agreed to continue diplomatic talks following a discreet meeting on Friday touching on Tehran´s nuclear programme, amid surging tensions even before Donald Trump´s return to the White House.

Following the talks in Geneva, shrouded in an unusual level of secrecy, the parties each took to social media to say the discussions had focused on Iran´s nuclear programme and sanctions, and other regional issues.

The sides had “agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue in the near future”, the German foreign ministry and the high-level diplomats representing France, Britain and Iran said separately on X.

Providing a bit more detail, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran´s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, described Friday´s discussions as “candid”.

“Our preference is the path of dialogue and engagement,” he wrote.

The stakes were laid bare in a warning from Britain´s foreign intelligence chief that Iran´s nuclear ambitions posed a major global security threat, despite its weakened position after setbacks dealt to its Islamist allies Hamas and Hezbollah in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

“Iran´s allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows,” Secret Intelligence Service chief Richard Moore said in a speech in Paris. “But the regime´s nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”

Friday´s meeting took place in the context of extreme tension in the Middle East between Israel and Iran and its allies.