Speaking to IRNA on Friday, Baqaei said the meeting is a test of Europe’s realism and a chance to correct previous “unconstructive approaches” that undermined Europe’s credibility in the nuclear negotiations.
He reiterated Iran’s objections to European support for military assaults by the US and Israel, saying these positions have turned Europe into justifiers of aggression and international law violations.
He warned that such stances would again be formally protested during the Istanbul talks.
Baqaei rejected any legal or moral basis for Europe’s repeated threats to trigger the JCPOA’s snapback mechanism, asserting that their continued violation of the deal disqualifies them from invoking its provisions.
He also emphasized that Iran’s nuclear steps were lawful countermeasures under the JCPOA following US withdrawal.
Baqaei criticized Europe’s “submission” to Israeli pressure and said any attempt to extend UN Security Council Resolution 2231 would be “baseless and unacceptable.”
He also noted an IAEA deputy director’s visit to Tehran is being planned for further technical discussions.