Europe ceased being a mediator between the United States and Iran with its move to restore international sanctions last month and became a US pawn, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told the Guardian in an interview.
“The Europeans are doing what Trump dictated to them,” Baghaei told the Guardian
“Their role is going to be diminished … they have decided to be the proxy of the US and Israel.”
He contrasted today’s approach with earlier European foreign policy chiefs such as Javier Solana, Cathy Ashton, Federica Mogherini and Josep Borrell, whom he said acted as intermediaries between Tehran and Washington.
Britain, France and Germany — the three European signatories to the original nuclear deal — formally notified the UN last week that they intend to restore sanctions by the end of September unless Iran meets a set of conditions.
These include allowing UN inspectors back into sites damaged in Israeli strikes, providing details about its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and agreeing to open direct talks with the United States on the future of its nuclear program.
European governments have emphasized that there is still a four-week window for diplomacy before sanctions return, but Baghaei dismissed their conditions as insincere and “a sign they are not serious and they do not have good faith.”
Criticism of Europe and Israel
Baghaei also criticized European governments for tacitly supporting Israel’s June strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, pointing to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s comment that Israel was doing “the dirty work … for all of us.” He claimed European countries likely provided intelligence to Israel to carry out the attacks.
The Iranian spokesperson further warned that parliament, not the government, holds constitutional authority over Iran’s membership in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
With lawmakers preparing to vote on a bill to mandate Tehran's withdrawal from the treaty if sanctions are reimposed, Baghaei said the government would not be able to block it.
Such a move would end UN oversight of Iran’s nuclear program and could ramp up concerns in the West about whether Iran intends to pursue nuclear weapons.
Despite the growing tensions, Baghaei insisted Iran remains open to compromise.
Iran, he said, had assured the IAEA that enriched uranium stockpiles had not been moved and suggested Tehran would be willing to return to the 3.67 percent enrichment cap set by the 2015 nuclear deal provided its right to enrich uranium domestically was preserved.
Two rounds of talks between the IAEA and the foreign ministry had already taken place, with a third session planned, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told reporters.
“The matter of IAEA supervision over the refueling of Bushehr was on the agenda. Two inspectors came, observed the process and left,” he said.
Inspectors entered the country with authorization from the Supreme National Security Council to oversee a fuel replacement process at Bushehr, he added.
The visit marked the first IAEA presence since Tehran suspended cooperation during the 12-day war with Israel, when US and Israeli strikes targeted Iranian nuclear facilities.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said last week that while inspectors were allowed back into Bushehr, access to other key sites remained blocked. He also warned that the agency was still dissatisfied with the level of Iranian cooperation.
Some Iranian officials and media outlets had also threatened that as soon as Grossi entered Iranian territory, he should be arrested and put on trial. The Kayhan newspaper, overseen by the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had called for Grossi to be tried and executed “for spying for Mossad.”
Dispute over snapback sanctions
Eslami dismissed the activation of the UN snapback mechanism by Britain, France and Germany as unsurprising. “Our enemies always find excuses to pressure the Iranian nation,” he said, accusing the IAEA leadership of acting under the influence of Western powers.
The European states triggered the mechanism on August 28, seeking the reimposition of all previous UN sanctions and demanding that Iran resume full cooperation with the IAEA within 30 days. Tehran has so far refused.
Officials have threatened that if pressure intensifies, Iran could withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty — a move that would deepen its isolation and risk losing support from Russia and China.
The IAEA has reported that Iran holds enriched uranium stocks far beyond the limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, including more than 400 kilograms enriched to 60 percent.
The fate of this material remains unclear after the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan during the June conflict. Experts warn it could be enough, if further refined, to build several nuclear weapons.
