Iranian top diplomat steps up diplomacy amid Israel conflict

ISTANBUL

Iranian Foreign Ministry Abbas Araghchi is poised to accelerate diplomatic engagement, with high-level talks scheduled in Geneva on June 20 with European counterparts and with representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Istanbul on June 21, as the conflict between Iran and Israel raged.

His first stop is set to be Geneva, where the Iranian top diplomat to attend talks on his country’s nuclear program with counterparts from key European powers France, Germany and Britain and the EU's top diplomat, according to a statement by state news agency IRNA.

The discussions between Iran and European nations —reportedly held in coordination with the United States, according to a German source — aim to secure a concrete assurance from Tehran that its nuclear activities will remain strictly civilian.

The meeting will come as Israel has declared its objective of its attacks that began on June 13 as preventing Iran from acquiring the capacity to produce nuclear weapons, a claim Tehran continues to refute.

Media reports said that these negotiations will be succeeded by a more technical, expert-level dialogue structured around specific concerns.

Araghchi is also expected to attend a meeting of the OIC in Istanbul on June 21, the Turkish Foreign Ministry sources said.

The special session of the 51st OIC Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to focus on Israel's recent strikes against Iran.

More than 40 foreign ministers are expected to attend the two-day meeting hosted by Turkish top diplomat Hakan Fidan, along with some 1,000 participants, including representatives from affiliated bodies, observer states and international organizations, Turkish diplomatic sources told the media.

Fidan is scheduled to open the meeting, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also expected to deliver a keynote address.

An "Istanbul declaration" is expected to be released at the conclusion of the meeting, alongside the adoption of draft resolutions related to the OIC agenda, particularly those centered on the situation in Gaza.

Fidan is expected to affirm Türkiye’s commitment to supporting de-escalation efforts in the Iran-Israel conflict and urge OIC member states to demonstrate unity in confronting "Israel’s destabilizing policies."

Türkiye will assume the rotating presidency of the OIC's foreign ministers' council for one year with the session. Istanbul previously hosted the council's meetings in 1976, 1991 and 2004.

Last week, OIC chief Brahim Taha condemned Israeli "aggression" against Iran in a phone call with Araghchi.

Taha expressed "grave concern" over the attacks and condemned the military "in the strongest terms," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Araghchi, for his part, called for a collective response by Islamic countries to confront Israel's "mounting lawlessness and aggression" against regional states.