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Istanbul meeting 'test' for Europeans' realism on Iran nuclear issue: FM Spox

Iran Press TV

Friday, 25 July 2025 10:49 AM

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei says ongoing talks with Britain, France, and Germany are a test of the European parties' realism regarding the 2015 nuclear agreement and a valuable opportunity to correct their perspective.

Speaking to IRNA news agency ahead of a meeting between Iranian and European representatives in Istanbul Friday, Baghaei urged the three countries to amend their previous "unconstructive" approaches, which have harmed Europe's credibility and reduced its influence in negotiations.

Baghaei criticized the European trio for adopting a "biased position" on recent Israeli and US military aggression against Iran, and justifying violations of international law. He said Iran would raise its objections during the talks and demand explanations from the European parties.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran has previously protested such inappropriate positions and will clearly convey its objections to the European parties at today's meeting, demanding an explanation."

On the issue of snapback sanctions under UN Security Council Resolution 2231, Baghaei dismissed European threats to trigger the mechanism, saying the three countries lack the legal standing to do so.

"There is no justification for keeping Iran's nuclear issue on the Security Council's agenda beyond the scheduled time," he added.

Baghaei further stated that continuous violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by Britain, France, and Germany, including support for US and Israeli military actions targeting Iran's peaceful nuclear facilities, have undermined their status as participants in the deal and stripped them of their legal authority to invoke JCPOA mechanisms.

"Therefore, they no longer have the legal authority to utilize—or even extend—the JCPOA mechanisms that they have themselves breached."

Baghaei also said Israel — which is the sole nuclear-armed regime in the region and the main opponent of the JCPOA — is pressuring European countries and complicating the nuclear issue by seeking to dictate its terms.

"It is unsurprising that the Zionist regime, the region's sole nuclear weapon holder and the main adversary of the JCPOA, is now trying to dictate terms to Europe and complicate matters. But the question is whether these European countries are willing to sacrifice their credibility for Israel's malicious ambitions."

He dismissed discussions of extending Resolution 2231 as "meaningless and baseless."

"Given the lack of any legitimate grounds for reinstating sanctions and the Europeans' own disqualification, discussing an extension of Resolution 2231 is doubly meaningless and unfounded. We oppose it."

Regarding Iran's suspension of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Baghaei said it was a response to unlawful Israeli and US military actions violating the UN Charter, damaging the non-proliferation regime, and threatening the safety of Iran's nuclear facilities.

While Iran remains a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, future cooperation with the IAEA will be managed through Iran's Supreme National Security Council, he said.

Baghaei noted that the IAEA deputy director general is expected to visit Tehran soon to negotiate a new cooperation framework but indicated there are no plans for visits to nuclear sites damaged in recent attacks.