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TEHRAN, June 21: European powers hoped to offer a "diplomatic solution" as they met with Iran in Geneva on Friday, according to French President Emmanuel Macron, as Israel again came under Iranian missile fire.
The meeting, which is expected to focus on Iran's nuclear programme, comes as US President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of entering the war between the two foes.
Israel, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, launched a massive wave of strikes a week ago, triggering an immediate retaliation from Tehran.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Geneva "to make a complete diplomatic and technical offer for negotiations", Macron told reporters.
France and its allies Germany and Britain were "putting a diplomatic solution on the table", he added.
On the ground, Israel's military said it struck dozens of targets in Tehran overnight, including what it called a centre for the "research and development of Iran's nuclear weapons project".
Iran-Israel war: latest developments
In Israel, sirens sounded in the afternoon after missiles were launched from Iran for the second time on Friday, and rescuers reported two injured, including a 16-year-old in serious condition.
A military official said that "approximately 20 missiles were launched towards Israel" in the latest salvo.
On Iranian state TV, a news anchor described footage of "Iranian missiles arriving" in the sky over Israel, as the channel broadcast the footage with military music playing in the background.
Trump has said he would decide "within the next two weeks" whether to involve the United States in the fighting.
Israel, the United States and other Western powers accuse Iran of seeking an atomic weapon, a charge that it denies.
- 'Betrayal' of diplomacy -
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy said "a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution", while agreeing with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio that "Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon".
France's foreign ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine said that "military solutions are not long-term solutions" to ensure Iran respects its obligations under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran's Araghchi, however, rejected any prospect of talks with the United States so long as Israel continues its attacks.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council on Friday, Araghchi said Israel's attacks were a "betrayal" of diplomatic efforts to reach a nuclear deal between Tehran and Washington.
"We were attacked in the midst of an ongoing diplomatic process," he said.
In an interview with German publication Bild, Israel's top diplomat Gideon Saar said he did not "particularly" believe in diplomacy with Iran.
"All diplomatic efforts so far have failed," said Saar, whose country had supported Trump's 2018 decision to abandon a previous nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers.
The Iranians, according to Saar, have used negotiations "to gain time while making progress (in their nuclear programme), and I don't think they've changed their nature".
- 'Speculation' -
The UN Security Council is also due to convene on Friday for a second session on the conflict, which was requested by Iran with support from Russia, China and Pakistan, a diplomat told AFP on Wednesday.
