Iran's foreign minister plans to meet in Geneva on Friday with leading European counterparts, who hope to open a window for a diplomatic solution to the weekold war that has seen Israeli airstrikes target Iranian nuclear and military sites and Tehran firing back.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, however, said his country is not seeking negotiations with anyone as long as Israel continues its strikes on Iran.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes a week into their war Friday as new diplomatic efforts appeared to be underway.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi appeared headed to Geneva for meetings with the European Union's top diplomat and counterparts from the United Kingdom, France and Germany. A plane with his usual call sign took off from the Turkish city of Van, near the Iranian border, flight-tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed. Iran typically acknowledges his departure hours afterward.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected any negotiations with the United States while Israel continues its attacks on Iran, in an interview with state TV broadcast on Friday.

"The Americans have repeatedly sent messages calling seriously for negotiations. But we have made clear that as long as the aggression does not stop, there will be no place for diplomacy and dialogue," said the chief diplomat, who was due in Geneva for talks with his European counterparts.

From Gaza and Lebanon to the Democratic Republic of Congo, violence against children in conflict zones reached "unprecedented levels" in 2024, a United Nations annual report said Thursday.

The report calls out Israel's military operations in Lebanon, where more than 500 children were killed or injured last year.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel's strikes on Iran within the next two weeks as there is still a "substantial" chance of talks to end the conflict.

Trump's move to hit the pause button could open up space for diplomacy, after days of fevered questions about whether or not he would order U.S. military action against Tehran.

Iranian missiles again evaded Israel's sophisticated aerial defense array on Thursday, striking a main hospital in the south as well as residential areas in the country's populous center.

Israel has long relied on its multilayered missile defense system to protect communities around the country from rocket barrages from militants in Gaza or Lebanon. Since the wars in the Middle East erupted in 2023, that list has grown to include fire from rebels in Yemen and Iran.

Israel's military said sirens sounded in the Israel's north on Thursday after missiles were fired from Iran, on the seventh day of war between the two countries.

A military statement said that "sirens sounded in several areas across Israel following the identification of missiles launched from Iran toward the State of Israel", with the army's Home Front Command saying air raid warnings were activated in large parts of the north.

The Israeli military said Thursday that Iran used a missile with multiple warheads in its attack, posing a new challenge to its defenses.

Instead of having to track one warhead, missiles with multiple warheads can pose a more difficult challenge for air defense systems, like Israel’s Iron Dome.

For years, Israel has targeted Iranian nuclear scientists, hoping to choke progress on Iran's nuclear program by striking at the brains behind it.

Now, with Iran and Israel in an open-ended direct conflict, scientists in Israel have found themselves in the crosshairs after an Iranian missile struck a premier research institute known for its work in life sciences and physics, among other fields.

Much of the focus on Iran's nuclear program has been on Tehran's enrichment of uranium, but experts also keep a close watch on the Islamic Republic's Arak heavy water reactor.

That's because the facility, some 250 kilometers (155 miles) southwest of Tehran, could produce plutonium, which can be used to make an atomic bomb.