GENEVA

A crucial international meeting aimed at halting the hostilities between Israel and Iran began Friday in Geneva, marking the start of an intensive two-week diplomatic effort to prevent a wider conflict in the Middle East.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul are holding talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to address Tehran's nuclear activities and identify potential diplomatic off-ramps to avoid escalation. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is also attending the meeting.

The talks come a week into Israel's strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities and retaliatory attacks by Iran.

The Geneva negotiations are seen as a critical step toward building momentum ahead of next week's NATO summit in The Hague, where Middle East security is expected to dominate discussions.