‘Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe’: Trump says European powers can’t help in ending Israel-Iran conflict

US President Donald Trump on Friday (Jun 20) said that European powers would not be able to help end the conflict between Israel and Iran. This comes after British, German, French and EU top diplomats met an Iranian official in Geneva. Trump dismissed the chances of Europe making a difference, saying that the talks between Britain, France, Germany and EU diplomats and Tehran's foreign minister “didn't help.”

“Iran doesn’t want to speak to Europe. They want to speak to us. Europe is not going to be able to help in this,” Trump told reporters as he arrived in Morristown, New Jersey. When asked whether he would ask Israel to stop its attacks as Iran had asked, Trump said it was “very hard to make that request right now.”

“If somebody's winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody's losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens.”

Trump reiterated that Iran had a “maximum” of two weeks to avoid possible US air strikes. A day earlier, the US president said that he would make a decision whether the US would take a military action against Iran, directly involving in the conflict in the Middle East.

“I’m giving them a period of time, and I would say two weeks would be the maximum,” Trump told reporters when asked whether he would decide to strike Iran before that. He added that the aim was to “see whether or not people come to their senses.”

On Thursday, Trump said that he would “make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks” because there was a “substantial chance of negotiations” with Iran. Trump's comments are viewed as opening a two-week window for negotiations to end the war between Israel and Iran as European powers seek to mediate with Iran.