The second week of the Israel-Iran conflict began with fresh rounds of strikes despite ongoing talks between European ministers and Iran’s top diplomat.
Friday’s four-hour discussions in Geneva aimed to ease tensions between the two rivals but ended without any significant progress. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump continued to consider the extent of American military involvement, as fears grew over possible attacks on nuclear reactors.
Nonetheless, European officials remained optimistic about future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed willingness to continue dialogue but emphasized that Tehran was unwilling to negotiate with the U.S. as long as Israel’s attacks persisted.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, declared on social media Saturday that the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, will “pay” once the conflict with Israel ends.
The threat from Ali Larijani comes amid growing criticism from Iranian officials who accuse Grossi of provoking the recent Israeli surprise attack through his contradictory statements regarding Iran’s nuclear program.
Last Friday, Grossi told the United Nations Security Council that although Iran possesses the materials necessary to develop a nuclear weapon, it currently appears that the country has no intention of doing so.
