TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragci warned that the UK, France and Germany are putting their credibility and international status at stake by linking with President Donald Trump’s strategy of maximum pressure on Tehran.
In an article released Sunday in The Guardian, Aragut said Europe “is wrong to follow Donald Trump’s strategy,” highlighting Iran is ready for diplomacy and new contracts on the nuclear program, but only if sanctions are lifted.
Araghchi defended Iran’s records based on the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and placed full responsibility for the crisis in 2018 for withdrawal from the Washington agreement.
Despite these complaints, the Foreign Minister emphasized that Iran is open to diplomacy and is even negotiating new arrangements, but only under the clear terms that all sanctions will end. “We are ready to forge realistic and lasting bargains,” Araguchi wrote. which includes “curbs relating to round iron surveillance and enrichment in exchange for termination of sanctions.”
Araguchi has tracked Europe’s role in the nuclear conflict for over 20 years, explaining it reflects the balance of international power. In the early 2000s, he said Europe often acted as a mitigating influence, sought to ease American warfare in the region. But today he argued that Europe allows Washington to “excess” and undermine its own interests.
Last week, the UK, France and Germany announced that they had triggered a so-called “snapback” process to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran, claiming that Tehran had failed to comply with its obligations. Araguchi dismissed the move as legally unfounded and politically dangerous. He said the E3 step ignored a series of events. It was the United States that unilaterally abandoned the transaction, re-ordered sanctions in 2018, causing a chain reaction. He argued that Iran’s subsequent corrective actions were completely legal under the JCPOA framework.
“The three countries hope that they will forget that it is not Iran that it is the United States that has ended unilaterally with the JCPOA,” Araguchi said. “They are omitting the way they couldn’t support some of the bargain, let alone their outrageous welcome to the Iranian bombing in June.”
The Foreign Minister argued that the current courses in Europe are based on a miscalculated desire to secure a place at the wider international table of questions. In reality, Trump has repeatedly treated E3 as a minor player and has said he has denies them from debates, such as the Russian-Ukraine conflict, leading up to Europe’s own future.
“The message from Washington is loud and clear,” writes Araguchi. “To get relevance, E3 must demonstrate immortal loyalty,” he added that the image of European leaders sits at extremes in an oval office before President Trump “emphas clearly on this dynamic.”
Araghchi contrasted this subordinate and the early role of Europe. When E3 first came together in the wake of Afghanistan and Iraq’s US invasion in 2003, Iran welcomed its involvement as a possible offset to American unilateralism. But the efforts were shaken up as Europeans could not provide substantial things without supporting us. Still, American maximalism was dominant, and Europe could not stand independently.
The Foreign Minister detailed the trajectory of Iran’s nuclear program and negotiations. Between 2005 and 2013, what he called the “sanctions vs centrifuge” race led Iran to dramatically expand its capabilities, increasing the amount of centrifuge from just 200 to 20,000.
Two important shifts then allowed serious dialogue. First, European approval for US and European uranium enrichment. Second, Tehran accepts Washington as its direct negotiating partner. These factors led to a breakthrough JCPOA transaction in 2015.
“The bargain was easy,” Araguchi explained. “In exchange for the end of sanctions, unprecedented surveillance and curbs on Iran’s enrichment. The formula worked.”
However, in 2018, President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, reimposed sanctions and unraveled years of diplomacy. Europe was initially furious and promised to protect the deal. French finance minister Bruno Le Maier declared that Europe was not a “vassal,” and European leaders spoke of “strategic autonomy.” They promised that oil sales, banking channels and Iran’s trade benefits would continue despite Washington’s withdrawal. But none of these promises came to fruition.
“None of these things happened,” Araguchi wrote frankly, accusing E3 of abandoning their commitments, demanding Iran’s compliance.
Aragut took place on the eve of a diplomatic conference, denounced European double standards, particularly the silence against US forces’ attacks on Iran’s territory in June. He noted that E3 refused to condemn the attack, but they now demand that Iran face UN sanctions because it appears to have refused dialogue.
He also pointed to comments from the German prime minister who openly supported the strike against Iran’s nuclear facility. These facilities are protected by international law, highlighted by Araghchi. He argued that supporting such attacks exposes the role of Europe not as a diplomatic participant but as an illegal cheerleader.
“Their gambits won’t achieve the results they’d like because they warned their E3 counterparts,” warned Araguchi. “On the contrary, by removing them from future diplomacy, we will only be on the sidelines further, bringing broad negative consequences to all of Europe in terms of their global credibility and status.”
Despite his criticism, Aragut emphasized that Tehran has not closed the doors for negotiations. Iran is ready to engage in “a realistic and lasting bargain,” he said.
He warned that failure to seize this “flame window of opportunity” could result in destructive consequences “at a whole new level.”
Turning to Israel, Aragut accused Tel Aviv of trying to drag the West into conflict instead. He argued that the June clash showed Iran’s military power and forced Israel to seek American aid. He argued that the failed Israeli operation drowned billions of US taxpayers, a depleted important military stockpile, and portrayed Washington as a reckless actor drawn into the “war of illicit administration choices.”
Araguchi concluded with a harsh warning. Europe and the US must reassess their approach and give them the time and space needed for diplomacy. Otherwise, they will face the consequences of deepening conflict.
“If Europe really wants a diplomatic solution and President Trump wants to focus on real problems whose bandwidth is not manufactured in Tel Aviv, they need to give diplomacy the time and space it needs to succeed,” he wrote. “The alternatives are unlikely to be clean.”