Share Story
GENEVA — European powers on Friday urged Iran to continue diplomacy with the United States to find a solution in the standoff over its nuclear programme as Israel keeps up its bombardment of the Islamic republic.
"The good result today is that we leave the room with the impression that the Iranian side is ready to further discuss all the important questions," said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in a statement alongside his British, French and EU counterparts after talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
"It is of great importance that the United States takes part in these negotiations and the solution," he added.
The statement read by all four top diplomats in their native languages after the talks expressed hope of further progress but did not make any mention of a breakthrough in the talks in Geneva.
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "We are keen to continue ongoing discussions and negotiations with Iran, and we urge Iran to continue their talks with the United States."
"This is a perilous moment, and it is hugely important that we don't see regional escalation of this conflict," he added.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said there "can be no definitive solution through military means to the Iran nuclear problem. Military operations can delay it but they cannot eliminate it".
After Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not rule out killing supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Barrot also warned: "It is illusory and dangerous to want to impose a regime change from the outside. It is up to the people to decide their own destiny."
"We invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for," he said.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said for her part: "Today the regional escalation benefits no-one. We must keep the discussions open."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said earlier the Iranian delegation "emphasised that Iran has not left the negotiating table".
Israel began its campaign on Friday last week saying the operation was aimed at halting Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, an ambition Iran denies having.
Iranian strikes launched in response have also caused damage in Israel.
At least 19 people were injured in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa as Iran fired a fresh barrage of missiles on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Iran has been launching daily missile salvos at Israel for the past week since a wide-ranging Israeli attack on its nuclear and military facilities triggered war.
One projectile slammed into an area by the docks in Haifa on Friday afternoon where it damaged a building and blew out windows, littering the ground with rubble, AFP images showed.
Israel's foreign ministry said it struck "next to" the Al-Jarina mosque.
The locations of missile strikes in Israel are subject to strict military censorship rules and are not always provided in detail to the public.
A spokesman for Haifa's Rambam hospital said 19 people had been injured in the city, with one in a serious condition.
A military official said that "approximately 20 missiles were launched towards Israel" in the latest Iranian salvo.
More than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones, according to Israel's National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
The directorate added that the country's tax authority had received over 25,000 claims linked to damage caused to buildings during the war.