Europe calls for renewed nuclear diplomacy after efforts fall short

'Eternal war against Iran' is only alternative to diplomacy, warns France

EU's foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas pointed out that before the Israeli and US attacks, Iran was ‘opening up to discuss all topics nuclear but also broader security issues’. EPA

European officials have urged Tehran to return to the negotiating table on Monday, despite the US bombing of Iran underscoring the limits of diplomacy.

Most European leaders have refrained from criticising the Israeli and US air attacks. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris, one of the few officials to describe the US strikes as "very unhelpful", said negotiations were the only path to "avoid an already tinderbox situation getting even worse".

There was little progress last week at talks in Geneva between Iran and the E3 countries - the UK, France and Germany - and US President Donald Trump described the meeting as unhelpful. Yet both sides had said they were happy to continue negotiations, a position Iran abruptly reversed after the US hit three of its main nuclear sites at the weekend.

Speaking in Istanbul, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was reported to be visibly angry, declared diplomacy “irrelevant” in light of the attacks and warned of a retaliatory response. “It’s not time for diplomacy now,” he said.

In Brussels, Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul appeared to acknowledge that European efforts were falling short.

"Iran says it only wants to negotiate with Europe and we see that as a good sign but we do also say that's not sufficient. We want to see the US involved," Mr Wadephul said after a breakfast with EU counterparts to discuss Iran.

The remains of a building hit by missiles fired from Iran, in Tel Aviv, Israel, as the two countries exchange fire. Bloomberg

Senior EU officials say there is no alternative to diplomacy. Asked by The National to react to Mr Trump's comments about the Geneva talks, the EU's foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas, defended them.

"It was very important that we do this outreach. We have done this before," Ms Kallas said, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, from which Mr Trump pulled out three years later during his first presidency. "Iran was opening up to discuss all topics nuclear but also broader security issues concerning Europe," Ms Kallas added. They included cyber and hybrid attacks conducted by Iran against European countries and Iran's support for Russia's ballistic missile programme.

"We will definitely stay in touch," Ms Kallas said when asked if further talks may take place. "The communication channels are open."

Ms Kallas's predecessors had played a lead mediation role between Iran and world powers during the nuclear deal negotiations. Yet a shifting geopolitical landscape in the Middle East has weakened the EU's diplomatic weight, with Israel viewed as unrestrained in its regional military operations in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks. The EU has also refrained from using its full leverage on the Gaza war, despite calls from some countries to reconsider establishing ties with Israel.

Of the E3, only the UK is believed to have been briefed in advance about US strikes on Iran early Sunday. Hours before, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had said on X that talks between Europe and Iran would "accelerate." That now appears unlikely.

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, centre, among a group talking after the European Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday. EPA

Speaking in Brussels, Mr Barrot pushed back against Mr Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calls for regime change in Iran. "The objective is not only to temporarily delay Iran's access to nuclear weapons for us Europeans, but to delay it permanently," he said, warning that the only alternative was "eternal war against Iran". Mr Barrot added: "If anyone has another idea, I invite them to come forward."