Germany, France and UK ready to hold talks with Iran, says German minister

BERLIN (Reuters) -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.

(Writing by Dave GrahamEditing by Christian Goetz and David Goodman)