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There were few signs of progress after European foreign ministers met their Iranian counterpart on Friday in a bid to prevent conflict in the Middle East from escalating, although all signalled readiness to keep talking, despite major sticking points.

The foreign ministers of Germany, Britain and France, known as the E3, plus the European Union, urged Iran to engage with the United States over its contentious nuclear programme even as Tehran has repeatedly insisted it will not open discussions with the Trump administration until Israeli strikes on Iran end.

The talks aimed to test Tehran’s willingness to negotiate a new nuclear deal despite there being no obvious prospect of Israel ceasing its attacks soon, diplomats 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,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

For his part, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran was ready to consider diplomacy once Israel had ceased its attacks and been held accountable for its actions.

“In this regard, I made it crystal clear that Iran’s defence capabilities are not negotiable,” he said following the talks lasting about three hours in Geneva.

No date for a follow-up meeting was announced despite Europeans underscoring the small window for diplomacy.

Reuters