EU foreign policy chief says Iran willing to talk, calls for diplomacy to maintain ceasefire

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Tuesday said that Iran has shown its willingness to engage in dialogue, amid growing efforts to stabilize the Middle East and maintain ceasefire conditions.

Speaking to reporters in The Hague where NATO Summit is being held, Kallas underlined the importance of diplomacy alongside military de-escalation. "Of course, we welcome the ceasefire, but it's also important that the ceasefire holds, and (in order for that) to happen, we have to negotiate and use diplomacy."

She recalled meeting with Iran's foreign minister on June 20 in Geneva, alongside the foreign ministers of the UK, France, and Germany, and said they addressed several key issues, including the nuclear program, hybrid and cyberattacks, and Iran's ballistic missile activities.

"Iran was willing to talk," she said, highlighting the EU's continued commitment to diplomacy. "We definitely also are staying in touch with Israel," she added.

Leaders of NATO's 32 member states are gathering in The Hague on June 24-25 for a critical summit dominated by debates over increased defense spending and Ukraine's membership bid.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa held a trilateral meeting on Tuesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte on the margins of the summit.