European officials want to negotiate some type of peace deal with Iran and Israel

Street sign in Iran named ‘Palestine’
(Photo by Sonia Sevilla)

While US President Donald Trump has publicly considered striking Iran militarily, the European Union seeks to be involved in some type of peace deal:

European officials hold talks with Iran in Geneva, seeking a diplomatic solution

June 20, 2025

PARIS — Foreign ministers from the United Kingdom, France and Germany are scheduled to meet with their Iranian counterpart in Geneva Friday, marking the most significant known diplomatic talks between Tehran and Western governments since Israel launched a surprise offensive against Iran one week ago.

The talks revive the European trio known as the “E3,” which led previous negotiations with Iran in the early 2000s and helped broker the 2015 nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama’s administration. …

Trump’s statement, read out loud by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday, tamped down speculation that the U.S. was poised to assist Israel in its offensive by striking an Iranian nuclear facility.

Lammy and his French and German counterparts are urging Iran to return to nuclear negotiations. …

In France, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot defended his country’s neutral stance, saying on national television Thursday that “France is always on the side of international law” and “has not participated in any preventive war.” He noted that 1,000 French nationals remain in Iran.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, meanwhile, said Berlin was open to further discussions with Iran if there is a “serious willingness” from Tehran to provide assurances on its nuclear and missile programs. https://www.npr.org/2025/06/20/nx-s1-5440118/europe-iran-talks

Iranians tend to prefer dealing with the Europeans over the Americans.

In Donald Trump’s previous presidency, he had the USA leave the agreement that the Obama Administration, Europe, and Iran agreed to.

Furthermore, in the previous Trump Administration, the Palestinian President said he could not work with the USA.

The reality is that Palestinian Authority does not trust the Trump Administration. The recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and the moving of the US embassy to Jerusalem brought Palestinian condemnation as well as statements against trusting the US to broker a peace deal:

President Abbas declares end to agreements with Israel, US

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, May 19, 2020 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas today declared an end to the agreements and understandings signed with Israel and the United States and turned over responsibility over the occupied territories back to Israel.

“The Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine are absolved, as of today, of all the agreements and understandings with the American and Israeli governments and of all the obligations based on these understandings and agreements, including the security ones,” the President declared at an emergency meeting for the Palestinian leadership held in Ramallah to discuss Israeli plans to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian land as declared in the new Israeli government’s coalition agreement.

“The Israeli occupation authority, as of today, has to shoulder all responsibilities and obligations in front of the international community as an occupying power over the territory of the occupied state of Palestine, with all its consequences and repercussions based on international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which holds the occupying power responsible for the protection of the civilian population under occupation and their property, criminalizes collective punishment, bans theft of resources, appropriation and annexation of land, bans forced transfer of the population of the occupied territory and bans transfer of the population of the occupying state (the colonialists) to the land it occupies, which all are grave violations and war crimes,” he said. http://english.wafa.ps/page.aspx?id=cBrJbOa117154132029acBrJbO

29 August 2019

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas … called for Europe to play a greater role in the Middle East peace process. …

The Palestinians have cut off relations with the United States and no longer view Washington as a neutral arbiter.

Germany, on the other hand, has taken efforts to support a multilateral approach instead of unilateral imposition, Abbas said.

“Therefore we demand that negotiations fall under an international umbrella” composed of a quartet of European states and Arab states to guide talks between Israelis and Palestinians, Abbas said. https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-merkel-insists-on-two-state-solution-in-israel-palestine-conflict/a-50211907

President Abbas has been furious that Israel wants to officially annex Judea-Samaria and that the USA was supporting this (see Netanyahu sworn in and wants annexations, but Jordan’s King Abdullah opposed). The Palestinians prefer to deal with the Europeans as, it would seem, the Iranians.

Well, although Iran and the Palestinian Authority do not get along well (mainly because Iran has backed Hamas as the ‘legitimate’ representative of the Palestinian people and not the Palestinian National Authority of Abbas), remember the expression, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

The Iranian and Palestinian leadership are enraged at both Israel and the USA.

Both want Israel to lose control of Jerusalem.

Neither want the nation of Israel to exist. But the USA does.

That said, the European Union has an office with “Special Representatives” for Middle East peace.

The Europeans want to be involved.

Today’s meeting is consistent with that.

But what about the Bible?

The Bible itself shows that the time will come when there will be a temporary ‘peace deal’ in the Middle East (see the article The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

It points to a European leader that will be involved in confirming the coming, prophesied deal of Daniel 9:26-27, which states:

26 And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).

The “prince” is a European leader who is later called the King of the North in Daniel 11:40. The ‘one week’ has generally been understood by prophecy watchers to mean a seven year deal, that is broken in the middle of it (after 3 1/2 years). This break is also confirmed in the following scripture:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

The “him” is the European King of the North–he was the one who was the prince who confirmed the deal.

The European King of the North may even move to Jerusalem to claim to enforce the peace deal (probably with troops called ‘peacekeepers’). Yet, according to Jesus, that should serve as a warning that it is time to flee:

20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. (Luke 21:20-21)

15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. (Matthew 24:15-22)

Regarding fleeing, check out the article” There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Near Petra.

One way to show Daniel is referring to a European kingdom is to realize that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. Jewish sources, while not understanding all of this, also agree that it was Roman sources that destroyed the city and sanctuary as the following demonstrates:

“The people of the prince will come and destroy the city and the Sanctuary” Daniel 9:26, refers to the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation. Jews for Judaism. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 07/30/16)

In the 21st century, the European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the “prince” coming from that people that verse 27 of Daniel 9 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will somewhat officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, some “tribulation” does happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation). Another is the fact that the “beast of the sea” of Revelation 13:1 fits with the beasts from the “great sea” of Daniel 7:2–and that sea is the Mediterranean Sea according to the Old Testament. Hence a power in Europe the only region that could have an empire geographically like the old Roman one (for more details, please see Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation).

Now, regarding false peace, this same beast leader will be involved in that in several ways. Here are a couple of scriptures pointing to that:

25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. (Daniel 8:25, KJV).

23 And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people. 24 He shall enter peaceably, even into the richest places of the province; and he shall do what his fathers have not done, nor his forefathers: he shall disperse among them the plunder, spoil, and riches; and he shall devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time. (Daniel 11:23-24, NKJV)

So this leader gives people the impression that there will be “peace” and is involved in some type of deal. This is the same leader that confirms the covenant in Daniel 9:27. The term is translated as “peace” in Daniel 8:25 is from the Hebrew term shalvah and essentially means security. In other words, this leader will destroy “many” who are under the impression that they are secure because of some type of security and/or trade arrangement. Such arrangements are now commonly referred to as peace deals or treaties. Land swaps or changes to territories are likely.

He also will make a lying deal with an Arabic leader that the Bible calls the King of the South per Daniel 11:27.

Isaiah was inspired to write:

8 The way of peace they do not know … (Isaiah 59:8, ESV)

While the current talks with Iran are not going to bring lasting peace, in time we will see a temporal peace deal. Perhaps after a major attack by Iran (cf. Isaiah 22:6-9).

Related to European involvement, we have the following video:

14:49

Will Europe be Involved in Peace in the Middle East?

EuroNews reported, “It’s the right time for the EU to step in and bring peace to the Middle East,” because Europe needs to move towards international leadership and the United States moves have basically resulted in a big mess. The Palestinians also prefer the Europeans to the Americans when it comes to dealing the Israel and Netanyahu’s government. Does the Bible point to a European confirming a peace deal in the Middle East? Is this a temporary, seven-year, deal that will be broken in the middle. Did Irenaeus of Lyon and Hippolytus of Rome consider this a deal that would be broken after 3 1/2 years? Do any Islamic prophecies point to the same thing? Will all in the world understand this deal? Could apparitions, like in Fatima, which have claimed to be of “Mary” be involved? Is confirmation of the deal by a “prince” setting in motion the timing of the Great Tribulation and later the return of Jesus and the establishment of the millennial Kingdom of God? What did Daniel the prophet write? Will the breaking of this deal precede the destruction of the USA and its British-descended allies? What happens after the confirming prince becomes the King of the North? Will this also be the Beast power that will conquer an Arabic power to arise called the King of the South per Daniel 11:40-43? Who are the “mighty” and who are the “holy” people that the Beast will destroy? Will the deal a European prince confirms be broken according to scripture? Dr. Thiel and Steve Dupuie go over these issues.