Dubai: The second week of the Israel-Iran war began with another series of strikes on an Iranian nuclear development facility in Isfahan.
European foreign ministers and Iran's top diplomat met in Geneva on Friday but were unable to reach an agreement. As concerns grew about probable strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, US President Donald Trump continued to consider his country's military involvement.
Still, European officials expressed hope for future negotiations. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was open to further dialogue but stressed Tehran wasn't interested in negotiating while Israel continued attacking.
Erdogan offers to mediate Iran-US talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for technical and leadership-level talks between Iran and the United States to resolve tensions, during a meeting with Iran's top diplomat, AP reported.
A statement from Erdogan's office said the Turkish president also told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a meeting in Istanbul on Saturday that Turkiye was ready to take on the role of facilitator.
Erdogan said that the region cannot tolerate another war and said Israel must be “stopped immediately”.
Araghchi was in Turkiye to attend a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Iran on Saturday acknowledged for the first time it had detained a German bicyclist on spying allegations, likely an effort by Tehran to pressure Germany amid its war with Israel.
The semi-official Mehr news agency published footage of the unnamed man's arrest, without saying when the arrest occurred. However, it described the cyclist as being detained in Markazi province, home to the Arak heavy water reactor.
The German news agency DPA reported the arrest took place last year and that the bicyclist is being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, home to Westerners and political prisoners.
The German Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Saturday.
The Israeli army said it began striking military infrastructure in southwest Iran.
It was unclear what the targeted sites were.
Shortly after, Iranian state media reported that the sound of large blasts was heard in two cities in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan. Air defences were reported to be activated in both locations.
A large column of smoke had also risen above the port city of Mahshahr, Fars news agency said, while “frightening explosions” were heard in the provincial capital of Ahvaz.
Macron voices deep concern over Iran's nuclear programme
The French president said Saturday this happened during a call with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who initiated the call.
“Here again, my position is clear: Iran must never acquire nuclear weapons, and it is up to Iran to provide full guarantees that its intentions are peaceful,” Macron posted on social media, adding that diplomatic efforts should continue to resolve the current crisis.
“To achieve this, we will accelerate the negotiations led by France and its European partners with Iran,” Macron said he also asked for the release of two French citizens being held in Iran on espionage charges since 2022.
Internet-access advocacy group NetBlocks.org reported on Saturday that the limited internet access that had come back up in Iran has once again “collapsed”.
The group said on X that the disconnect came after “a brief period when residents could exchange messages with the outside world”.
A nationwide internet shutdown has been in place for several days, isolating Iranians.
Iran cited concerns about Israeli cyberattacks for the shutdown of mobile and web services. But many Iranians and activists see it as another example of state information control and targeted internet shutdowns the Islamic Republic has deployed during periods of protests and unrest.
Iranians on Saturday began to see some internet access restored, giving people the opportunity to call friends and family for the first time in days.
Those in the diaspora posted on social media about connecting to FaceTime or WhatsApp to call relatives they had been worried about.
Government officials had disconnected phone and web services earlier in the week for the more than 90 million people who live in Iran, citing cybersecurity threats from Israel. That left civilians unaware of when and where Israel would strike next and if their family or friends were among the victims.
Tasnim News Agency, closely affiliated with Iran's government, quoted the information minister as saying that access to “international” internet should be restored across the country by 8 p.m.
Turkiye urges Islamic unity against the Israeli problem
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says the Middle East is faced with an “Israeli problem” and called on Islamic countries to take a collective stand and show solidarity with Iran.
“Israel's ongoing aggression and occupation policies clearly show that there is an Israeli problem in our region that needs to be addressed,” Fidan said in an opening speech at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul on Saturday.
He also warned that Israel's actions could trigger broader regional instability.
With PTI inputs