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Geneva, June 20, 2025 – UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will travel to Geneva on Friday for high-stakes nuclear talks with Iran and key European allies, amid mounting fears of a regional escalation in the Middle East. The discussions aim to revive diplomatic engagement over Tehran’s nuclear programme, as tensions between Iran and Israel push the region closer to conflict.
The talks will bring together the foreign ministers of the E3 nations—Britain, France, and Germany—alongside European Union High Representative Kaja Kallas. The group is expected to meet with Iran’s foreign minister at Germany’s permanent mission in Geneva to explore a potential diplomatic resolution within what officials describe as a “critical two-week window.”
In a statement on Thursday, Lammy said: “We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution. 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.”
The Geneva summit follows Lammy’s visit to Washington, where he met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff. A spokesperson for Rubio confirmed both parties agreed that “Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.”
The urgency of the diplomatic push comes as Israel and Iran remain locked in an escalating air conflict. Israel recently launched strikes inside Iran, prompting waves of retaliatory missile attacks. With hostilities intensifying, the White House said President Donald Trump will make a decision within the next two weeks on whether to commit U.S. military support to Israel.
While the U.S. is not formally involved in the Geneva talks, American officials are closely monitoring developments. Analysts suggest the outcome of these negotiations could influence Trump’s decision on military involvement.
European diplomats say the goal is to prevent further deterioration of regional stability and restore momentum toward a verifiable agreement that limits Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Iran has repeatedly insisted its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, but Western powers remain unconvinced and wary of Iran’s expanding enrichment activities.
This is the first time in over a decade that foreign ministers from the UK, France, Germany, the EU, and Iran are expected to engage directly at this level amid an active conflict involving Iran. A German diplomatic source said the talks are “a final opportunity for diplomacy before further escalation becomes inevitable.”
In the coming days, all eyes will be on Geneva as world powers attempt to de-escalate one of the most dangerous flashpoints in global geopolitics today.
