Iranian FM holds talks with European leaders but Trump says 'they want to speak to us' | Here's what we know about Iran-US nuclear talks amid war

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held talks with European foreign ministers in Geneva in an attempt to prevent an escalation in the country’s conflict with Israel, after United States President Donald Trump said he would decide within two weeks whether to join the assault on Tehran. Abbas Araghchi met diplomats, including French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Friday.

After the meeting, Araghchi told reporters that Iran was “prepared” to meet with the European officials again, calling Friday’s talks a “serious, respectful” discussion. But he also expressed “grave concern” about the failure of European countries to condemn Israel’s attacks on Iran. “Iran is ready to consider diplomacy once again – once the aggression is stopped and the aggressor is held accountable for the crimes committed,” Araghchi said. Iran had earlier said that it would not discuss the future of its nuclear programme while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barron on behalf of European leaders said, “The Iranian Foreign Minister has expressed his willingness to continue discussions on the nuclear programme and more broadly on all issues, and we expect Iran to commit to the discussion, including with the United States, to reach a negotiated settlement."

Phone call between Macron and Iranian president Pezeshkian

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that France and its European partners would ramp up talks with Iran. "I am convinced that there is a way out of war and to avoid even greater dangers," Macron said on X after holding phone talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. “To achieve this, we will step up the negotiations initiated by France and its European partners with Iran.”

Speaking about the call, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said that his country's response to continued Israeli "aggression" will be "more devastating" in the coming days. He also said that his country will not halt nuclear activity "under any circumstances."

‘Iran wants to speak to us, not Europe’: Trump

However, US President Donald Trump dismissed a European diplomatic initiative aimed at de-escalating the conflict between Israel and Iran, asserting that Tehran prefers direct talks with Washington instead of engaging with European powers. "Iran didn't want to speak to Europe, they want to speak to us," Trump told reporters. He also acknowledged the limited influence the US has over Israel's military campaign, stating, "Israel is doing well in terms of war, and I think you would have to say Iran is doing less well. It's a little hard to get someone to stop."

Earlier, Trump's White House Press Secretary announced that he will decide in two weeks if the US will enter the war between Israel and Iran. "Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks," Trump said in the statement read out by Leavitt.