Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos on Friday held a telephone call with the United States’ Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as the US deepens its involvement in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.
The foreign ministry described the call as “timely” and said the pair had discussed the “rapidly evolving developments in the region”.
It added that the pair had “underscored our shared commitment to preserving security and stability through ongoing engagement and effective diplomacy”.
The call comes as the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and German Foreign Minister Johann are set to hold talks with their Iranian counterpart Seyyed Abbas Araghchi in Geneva over the conflict.
News agency Reuters reported that the trio will tell Araghchi that the US is “open to direct talks, even as it considers joining Israeli strikes intended to smash Tehran’s nuclear capacity”.
However, the Iranian government has repeatedly said it will not speak direly with the US until Israeli attacks end.
Rubio had met Lammy on Thursday, while also holding telephone calls with Barrot, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani over the war.
The US’ state department had said of the meetings that Rubio and his counterparts had “agreed that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon”, while Lammy said that “a window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution”.
That comment came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had delivered a message directly from US President Donald Trump, in which Trump had said he will make a decision on whether to directly involve the US in the conflict in the next two weeks.
“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,” the message said.
Meanwhile, a French diplomatic told Reuters that the US “was ready for direct contact with the Iranians at any time”.
Rubio’s meeting with Kombos also came after it was reported that the US may ask the UK for permission to station refuelling aircraft at the British base in Akrotiri if it enters the conflict.
The UK’s Sky News reported that the US has already sent tanker aircraft, which are used to refuel fighter jets mid-flight, to both Spain and Greece, and that an American aircraft carrier is expected to arrive in the region “within the next five to seven days”.
It added that this bolstering of American force in the region “is currently in a defensive posture, designed to deter Iran from striking against US interests”, but that “it could be turned into an offensive force”.
Reports of American aircraft being stationed in Cyprus with a view to the country directly involving itself comes after Iran had warned the US, the UK, and France that their bases and ships in the region will be targeted if they help to stop its missile strikes on Israel.
Later, Iran’s ambassador in Nicosia Alireza Salarian said his country had “already raised this concern to the relevant authority” and added that “if we see any aggression from the third country, we have the right to response”.
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