MBBS student Mehak Hussain with her father after her evacuation from Iran under Operation Sindhu amid the Israel-Iran conflict, in Srinagar, on Friday. At least 1,000 Indian students stranded in Iranian cities are expected to land in Delhi in the next two days. PTI Photo
Israel-Iran conflict LIVE: UK to withdraw embassy staff from Iran
United Kingdom, France and Germany set to hold talks with Iran to break the impasse
Amidst diplomatic efforts, the UK has decided to temporarily withdraw its staff from the embassy in Tehran, citing security risks.
In a statement, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said, "As a precaution, we are temporarily relocating our staff from Iran, though our embassy will continue remote operations."
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday (June 20) as President Donald Trump weighed US military involvement and new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway.
Trump has been weighing whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility, which is buried under a mountain and widely considered to be out of reach of all but America's “bunker-buster” bombs.
He said he'll decide within two weeks whether the US military will get directly involved in the war given the “substantial chance” for renewed negotiations over Tehran's nuclear programme.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared to be en route to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
Britain's foreign secretary said he met at the White House with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss the potential for a deal that could cool the conflict.
'Not seeking negotiations'
Before his flight, Araghchi said on Iranian state television that his country was “not seeking negotiations with anyone” as long as Israel's attacks continued, underscoring the diplomatic challenges ahead. He also accused the US of collaborating with Israel, noting that Trump regularly used “we” in social media posts and interviews talking about the attacks on Iran.
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“Based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future, I will make my decision whether or not to go within the next two weeks,” Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, told reporters, quoting Trump.
