Israel has launched a new wave of strikes on Tehran and other locations in Iran, sharply escalating a conflict that has now entered its sixth day and drawn urgent international concern. Israeli forces claim to have targeted more than 40 sites across Iran, including facilities linked to centrifuge production and weapons development. Explosions were reported in eastern Tehran and near Payam International Airport in Karaj. According to Iran’s Ministry of Health, at least 240 people, including 70 women and children, have been killed since the Israeli offensive began.
In response to the rapidly deteriorating situation, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom are set to meet with their Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday. The meeting, coordinated by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, will also include the European Union’s chief diplomat, Kaja Kallas. This high-level diplomatic push aims to prevent further escalation and address global fears of a wider Middle East war.
The Geneva talks will focus on securing credible assurances from Iran that its nuclear program remains strictly peaceful. European leaders are working in close coordination with the United States, although President Donald Trump has not yet clarified whether the US will join Israel’s military campaign, adding to uncertainty over the crisis’s direction.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned that failure to de-escalate could bring even greater devastation, while Foreign Minister Wadephul urged Iran to take urgent, verifiable steps to prove it is not seeking nuclear weapons. “It’s never too late to come to the negotiating table with honest intentions,” Wadephul stated from Berlin.
Despite these diplomatic efforts, the prospects for a breakthrough remain uncertain, given the intensity of the conflict and deep mistrust between the parties. Israel insists its strikes are aimed at eliminating Iran’s nuclear weapons capability, while Iran maintains its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful.
The upcoming Geneva meeting represents a critical diplomatic effort by European powers to halt the cycle of retaliation and address international concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, as the Israel-Iran conflict threatens to spiral even further.