Washington (TDI): British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Thursday that there is still time to strike a diplomatic deal with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, urging swift action from all parties to avoid a broader regional conflict.
Speaking in Washington ahead of critical talks in Geneva, Lammy warned that the Middle East faces a dangerous tipping point and that diplomacy must prevail before the window of opportunity closes.
“We have roughly two weeks to seize a diplomatic solution and prevent the situation from spiraling further out of control,” Lammy said in a statement released by the UK embassy.
His comments came after meetings at the White House with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff. The British minister is set to travel to Geneva on Friday, where he’ll join his French, German, and EU counterparts for direct talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
The renewed diplomatic push follows mounting international concern over Israel’s bombing campaign targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and as US President Donald Trump considers joining the military effort against Tehran.
“This is a perilous moment,” Lammy said. “We discussed the urgent need for Iran to engage in talks to avoid a deepening conflict. The next two weeks are critical.”
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Lammy emphasized that this diplomatic push could be the last chance to avoid full-scale escalation in the Middle East. “It is time to halt the dangerous trajectory we’re on. Further violence will benefit no one.”
Iranian state media confirmed that Foreign Minister Araghchi will participate in Friday’s discussions with Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Germany’s Johann Wadephul, and the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
The US State Department said Lammy and Rubio were united in their belief that “Iran must never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon.”
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The EU and European powers have reiterated their preference for diplomacy, especially as tensions grow between Tehran and Tel Aviv. Kallas, speaking on behalf of the European Union, stressed that peaceful negotiation is the only sustainable way forward.
French President Emmanuel Macron, in a statement earlier this week, said Europe was preparing a new proposal aimed at de-escalating the Israel-Iran conflict. He has directed Barrot to coordinate closely with Germany and the UK.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
