Germany, France and Britain are ready to hold immediate talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme in an effort to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.
Wadephul, who is on a visit to the Middle East, said he was trying to contribute towards a de-escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran, noting that Tehran had previously failed to take the opportunity of constructive talks.
"I hope that's still possible," Wadephul told German public broadcaster ARD late on Saturday. "Germany, together with France and Britain are ready. We're offering Iran immediate negotiations about the nuclear programme, I hope (the offer) is accepted."
"This is also a key prerequisite for reaching a pacification of this conflict, that Iran presents no danger to the region, for the state of Israel or to Europe."
Wadephul, who is in Oman on Sunday, said the conflict would be ended only when influence is exerted on Iran and Israel from all sides.
"There's a shared expectation that within the next week, a serious attempt must be made on both sides to interrupt the spiral of violence," he said.
When asked whether he believed the Iranian government could fall, Wadephul said his assumption was that it was not Israel's intention to bring down the administration in Tehran.
Turning to Gaza, Wadephul said the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave was unacceptable and urged Israel to allow unrestricted access to aid organisations.
"The hunger, the dying, the suffering of the people in Gaza must come to an end," he said, adding that Hamas was to blame for the conflict and that the Islamist group must release hostages held since Hamas-led militants raided Israel in October 2023.
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US president Donald Trump has responded to Israel's attack against Iran, warning that things would get worse if Iran failed to reach a nuclear deal.
"Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire," he wrote on Truth Social following the attack.
Israel's attack against Iran on Friday targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders in a major escalation of the regional conflict.
It is set to launch a fresh wave of strikes against Iran after hitting the sites overnight.
There were reported explosions at Iran's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, while Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards corps said its top commander, Hossein Salami, had been killed.
Iran reportedly launched around 100 drones towards Israeli territory in retaliation, with Israel declaring a state of emergency in anticipation of further strikes.
Israel has shut its embassies amid fears of retaliatory attacks.
Sir Keir Starmer said the UK government urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”, as world leaders reacted to the significant escalation overnight.
The prime minister called a Cobra meeting with the Cabinet to plan the UK's next steps, but insisted Israel had a "right to self defence".
US president Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post that he had given Iran a 60-day ultimatum to make a nuclear deal prior to Israel’s strikes.
The US and Iran (along with the UK, Russia, France, and China, Germany and EU) previously made a nuclear deal in 2015, signed by then US president Barack Obama.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) saw Iran agree to certain restrictions on its production of nuclear weapons, and to eventually allow inspections and monitoring of its nuclear sites by United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
However, in 2018, during his first term, Trump withdrew the US from the deal, claiming that there were faults with the agreement. Iran said the withdrawal was a breach of the deal, and resumed its previous nuclear activities, increasing its production of highly enriched uranium.
Trump has been in pursuit of a new nuclear deal with Iran since he returned to the White House in January. This new deal, however, includes restrictions on the country’s nuclear fuel enrichment - a step that is reportedly too far for Iran.
The 60-day ultimatum passed the deadline without an agreement. Now, with Israel’s most recent attack on Iran, Trump has said that he is offering the country “a second chance”.
Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that Israel had informed the United States about its plans to attack Iran before carrying them out.
"I leave the American position to the Americans. We updated them ahead of time. They knew about the attack. What will they do now? I leave that to president Trump. He makes his decisions independently," Netanyahu said in a recorded video message.
Keir Starmer convened a Cobra meeting on Friday afternoon following Israel’s overnight strikes on Iran.
Starmer held the meeting with his top ministers to coordinate the UK's action during the crisis.
The term Cobra stands for "Cabinet Office Briefing Room A," which is the physical location for the meetings in the Cabinet office.
Major General Mohammad Bagheri, who has been killed in an Israeli airstrike aged about 65, had been the head of Iran’s armed forces since 2016 and was often tipped as a future president.
He was the younger brother of Hassan Bagheri, a senior figure in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) during the Iran-Iraq War, who became well-known for his ingenious intelligence operations and achieved semi-mythical status after he was killed by a mortar shell in 1983.
A red "flag of revenge" has been raised atop the dome of the Jamkaran Mosque in Qom, Iran, one of the most revered religious sites in Shia Islam.
The flag, inscribed with "Revenge for Hossein" in white Arabic script, symbolises a call for retaliation and mourning in the country following Israeli attacks on multiple Iranian cities.
It is not clear who the flag is referring to, but the leader of the Revolutionary Guard, Hossein Salami, was killed in the attack.
Israel and Iran opened a new chapter in their long history of conflict when Israel launched a major attack on Friday that set off explosions in the Iranian capital Tehran.
Israel said it targeted nuclear and military facilities, killing Iran’s top military and nuclear scientists.
Israel’s attack comes as tensions have escalated over Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme, which Israel sees as a threat to its existence.
Keir Starmer and the leaders of France and Germany have called on Israel and Iran to refrain from further escalation after overnight Israeli strikes.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, this morning following the developments in the Middle East overnight.
“The leaders discussed the long-held grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme, and called on all sides to refrain from further escalation that could further destabilise the region.
“The leaders reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defence, and agreed that a diplomatic resolution, rather than military action, was the way forward."
Tel Aviv Pride Parade has been cancelled as Israel braces for a retaliatory attack from Iran.
The pride, which was due to take place today, was expected to draw thousands to the city to celebrate the LGBT community, including Caitlyn Jenner.
Organisers told Reuters the decision is "super disappointing".
Israel's attack on Iran targeted the "heart" of the country's nuclear programme - including its facilities, ballistic missile factories, and top military chiefs.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have said that Operation Rising Lion was "pre-emptive". It was undertaken to stop Iran producing a nuclear weapon "in a very short time", according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu.
US president Donald Trump said on Friday he had given Iran a 60-day ultimatum on a nuclear deal before Israel's strikes, but added Tehran now has a second chance.
"Two months ago I gave Iran a 60-day ultimatum to 'make a deal.' They should have done it! Today is day 61. I told them what to do, but they just couldn’t get there. Now they have, perhaps, a second chance!" Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the attack was designed to ensure "Israel's very survival" after claiming that Iran has taken steps that could lead to the creation of a nuclear weapon.
Israel has also weakened Iran’s proxies in recent months, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, so it didn’t necessarily come as a surprise that it decided to strike within Iran in an attempt to hinder its nuclear capabilities.
Israel’s attack came just days before the US and Iran were due to meet to discuss Iran’s nuclear capabilities, a meeting that reports suggest could now have been called off.
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