Washington: Amid a growing crisis in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday and held separate phone conversations with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. The focus of these high-level discussions was the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
According to the U.S. State Department, all parties reaffirmed a unified stance: Iran must never be allowed to obtain or develop nuclear weapons. Lammy echoed this message on social media, warning of the ongoing instability in the region while noting that a diplomatic resolution might still be possible in the coming fortnight.
The confrontation, which escalated into an aerial conflict beginning June 13 after Israel launched a strike on Iranian territory, has triggered widespread alarm across the Middle East. The region was already on edge following Israel's extended military campaign in Gaza that began in October 2023.
President Donald Trump, who has maintained strategic ambiguity over the U.S. response, is expected to make a decision within two weeks on whether Washington will join the conflict militarily. The White House confirmed that Trump will attend a national security meeting on Friday to assess the situation. His recent statements have swung between advocating for diplomatic engagement and hinting at possible military support for Israel.
Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons despite not being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), claims its attack on Iran was a preemptive move to halt Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran, a signatory to the NPT, maintains that its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful purposes and has launched retaliatory strikes against Israel.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency, Israeli air raids have resulted in 639 fatalities in Iran. In return, Iran's missile attacks have killed at least two dozen Israeli civilians, according to Israeli sources.
In an effort to cool tensions, the foreign ministers of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the European Union are scheduled to meet with Iran’s foreign minister in Geneva on Friday for urgent talks aimed at de-escalation.
The international community continues to push for a peaceful resolution as the window for diplomacy narrows.
