Euro officials, Iranian diplomat meet. U.S. also negotiates

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday arrived in Geneva for talks with European diplomats, even as Israel and Iran continued to bombard each other. Foreign ministers of France, Germany, and the U.K. attended the talks, the Associated Press and BBC reported. The meeting comes as the United States tries to restart nuclear negotiations with Iran.

What is the U.S. approach? President Donald Trump believes there’s still a chance for talks between Iran and the United States. He will make his decision on whether to strike Iran in the next two weeks, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday, a week after Israel first struck Iran. Communication was ongoing between Iranian and American officials, according to Leavitt—though she didn’t specify whether the two sides were talking directly or through an intermediary. The U.S.-Iran communication appeared to be a new development since Trump said Tuesday that he had not reached out to Iran for any kind of peace talks. The president also indicated that Iran had refused a U.S. nuclear deal.

Trump has made warlike statements about the Iran situation recently. On Tuesday he highlighted Israel’s use of American weapons in strikes on Iran. That same day, he said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s location was known, although the leader was safe for now.

“Our patience is wearing thin,” Trump wrote.

Is the United States considering overthrowing Khamenei’s regime? When a reporter at the Thursday press briefing asked Leavitt that question, she said the president is more concerned with ensuring that Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon. He’s also prioritizing peace and stability in the Middle East, she said.

Dig deeper: Read my previous report on an Iranian barrage striking an Israeli hospital.