Tehran accuses European powers of following US directives, warns against unilateral coercion in nuclear deal negotiations
Iran on Friday sharply criticized European powers for triggering the re-imposition of UN Security Council resolutions related to the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei accused the European trio of Great Britain, France, and Germany of acting as “what passes for a ‘credible’ negotiating partner in the so-called ‘rules-based international order,' " adding that it is “where might makes right and where the ‘violator’ dictates the rules of the game.”
He said “their decision to trigger the re-imposition of terminated Security Council resolutions on Iran is driven not by legal necessity or sound judgment, but as (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio admitted in his press statement of 28 August 2025, signifies their obedience to the NSPM-2 dated 2 February 2025 of the United States.”
He noted that the US is “a non-participant of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action),” adding that it is “the tremendous spoiler & violator of JCPOA that chose to unilaterally withdraw from JCPOA in 2018 that caused a chain of subsequent vicious events up to now.”
Iran has previously condemned actions by the E3 -- Great Britain, France, and Germany -- over what it considers a bias toward US policy, calling for negotiations to respect “mutual rights and obligations” under the deal without unilateral coercive measures.
The E3 group of countries on Thursday triggered the mechanism for reinstating UN sanctions in their dispute with Iran over its nuclear program.
The European countries have urged Iran to resume negotiations with the US on its nuclear program and allow international inspectors to monitor sites and stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
The US left the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and re-imposed its own sanctions on Iran.
Earlier this year, it entered indirect nuclear talks with Iran, but Israel attacked Iran in June, and a sixth round of discussion in Oman was canceled.
The 12-day war saw the US bomb three Iranian nuclear sites.
The US has maintained that Iran must give up its nuclear program, but Tehran argues its program is only for civilian purposes.
