Europe wants to negotiate Iran's nuclear program

France, Germany and the United Kingdom have proposed resuming nuclear negotiations with Iran, on the third day of armed conflict with Israel.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was tasked with publicly extending a hand to Israel during an interview with the ARD network.

“Germany, together with France and the United Kingdom, is ready. We offer immediate negotiations on the nuclear program. I hope that the offer will be accepted,” the minister said, hours after French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, to make the same statement.

The three European countries were part of the former 5+1 delegation (the five member countries of the Security Council plus Germany) that signed the historic nuclear agreement with Iran in 2015, in which Iran committed to clarifying doubts about the peaceful nature of its nuclear program in exchange for its reintegration into international markets.

The agreement was invalidated for all intents and purposes after the unilateral withdrawal ordered by US President Donald Trump three years later, during his first term in the White House.

Although European countries have expressed their intention to continue negotiations, Iran has denounced that, in reality, they have completely submitted to the US decision.

In the phone call with the Iranian President, Macron took the opportunity to ask for the release of two French nationals detained in Iran, Cécile Kohler and Jacques Paris, and demanded that his counterpart provide protection for diplomatic headquarters, staff and French citizens in the country.

“Iran’s nuclear program is a serious concern and must be resolved through negotiation. I have therefore invited President Pezeshkian to return quickly to the negotiating table to reach an agreement, the only viable path to de-escalation,” Macron said in a message posted on his X account.

“We are willing to contribute and mobilize all our efforts to achieve this goal,” he added.

Iran has not commented on this offer and, in the last few hours, has denounced the support that Germany has given to Israeli operations: Minister Wadephul himself claimed Israel's right to defend itself in the event of Iran eventually manufacturing a nuclear weapon, something that Tehran has denied on numerous occasions.

In a message posted on the X network, Tehran's foreign affairs spokesman, Esmail Baqaei, regretted Germany's position and appealed to history as an example.

“Ask the surviving Polish and French refugees who were given Iranian passports to protect themselves from Hitler. Those who are perpetually on the wrong side of history are better off keeping quiet now,” he concluded.

In recent hours, Israeli forces have continued to attack missile depots and launch sites in western Iran and shot down at least seven drones that triggered alarms in northern Israel, the army said.

In turn, Iranian bombings against several points in Israel, in the early hours of today, caused at least 10 deaths and seven missing, according to Israeli emergency services and police.

The night before, three people had died in Tel Aviv, bringing the total number of fatalities since the escalation began to 13.

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said today, during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, that if Israel ceases its attacks on Iranian territory, Tehran will also stop bombing Israel, after yet another night of exchanges of fire between the two countries.

Since Friday morning, more than 100 people have reportedly died in Iran due to Israeli attacks, including senior Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists linked to the country's uranium enrichment projects, but also several civilians.