Iran: UK, France, Germany Undermined Credibility by Backing “Israeli” Aggression
By Staff, Agencies
Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, accused the European troika—Britain, France, and Germany—of damaging their credibility by siding with the “Israeli” regime during its 12-day war of aggression against Iran.
In a televised interview on Sunday, Gharibabadi said these three countries, along with the US, were the only ones to openly support “Israel’s” assault on Iranian territory.
He described their defense of “Israeli” actions as based on “baseless arguments,” pointing out that the US and “Israel” submitted identical justifications to the United Nations, which the European trio echoed. These claims, he said, falsely alleged that Iran’s nuclear program posed an imminent threat of militarization, thereby justifying aggression under the guise of self-defense.
“It is legally absurd,” Gharibabadi said, dismissing the US assertion that it was in a state of war with Iran. “Iran has never been at war with the United States.”
He also criticized Washington and Tel Aviv for citing slogans like “Death to America” and “Death to 'Israel'” as justification for launching attacks, calling it a distortion of international law and a desperate effort to portray their offensive actions as legitimate.
The war began on June 13, when the “Israeli” entity, with the green light from the US, launched a coordinated large-scale assault on Iranian soil. The strikes targeted civilian populations, nuclear sites, and critical infrastructure, resulting in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and severe damage to medical, educational and industrial facilities.
In response, Iran initiated Operation Truthful Promise III, striking key “Israeli” military, intelligence, and industrial targets. Tehran also launched missiles at the US al-Udeid airbase after Washington bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. Facing significant losses, “Israel” was forced to declare a unilateral halt to its offensive on June 24, a move publicly announced by US President Donald Trump.
Regarding diplomatic fallout, Gharibabadi said Iran has not yet received a formal notification from the European trio about triggering the UN’s snapback mechanism to reimpose sanctions but expects that possibility remains on the table. He called for preparations to counter such a move effectively.
He specifically addressed recent comments by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who claimed Berlin had requested UN action on the snapback mechanism. Gharibabadi said Tehran would pursue the issue through Germany’s Foreign Ministry.
The snapback mechanism would reinstate previously lifted UN sanctions, including arms embargoes, travel bans, asset freezes, and export restrictions on Iran. Gharibabadi warned that if such measures are reimposed, it would mark the end of meaningful diplomatic engagement between Iran and the E3.
While Iran has participated in six rounds of talks with the European powers, Gharibabadi made it clear that any activation of the snapback mechanism would nullify the spirit of dialogue.
He concluded by highlighting the hypocrisy of the E3’s position, recalling that the US unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], and that the European parties have failed to meet their own commitments under the deal. “It is sheer audacity for them to now accuse Iran of non-compliance,” he said.
