TEHRAN – Iranian media have strongly criticized the “shameless arrogance” of the European Troika—comprising the United Kingdom, Germany, and France—after the three countries once again called on Iran to provide greater “transparency” in its nuclear program, while continuing to neglect their own commitments under the now defunct 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA).

The German Foreign Ministry said in a post on X that Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul met with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

The German Foreign Ministry claimed that during the meeting, “the three ministers stressed that following the reactivation of the snapback mechanism, Iran must continue to ensure genuine transparency in its nuclear program.” The discussion, it added, also covered the situation in West Asia and ways to step up military and financial support for Ukraine.

Iranian media have criticized the latest remarks as yet another display of European duplicity. While the Troika demands “transparency” from Tehran, they themselves have never abided by the commitments they made under the JCPOA. Since Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018, the European parties have failed to take a single practical step to neutralize or lift the illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic, Tasnism wrote. 

Instead, London, Berlin, and Paris have gradually aligned themselves with U.S. policies—undermining the spirit and letter of the agreement they once claimed to defend. Their calls for “accountability” and “restraint” have become empty slogans that mask their own political submission to Washington, Fars News Agency argued. 

The so-called snapback mechanism—a provision within the JCPOA that allows any party to unilaterally restore UN sanctions if it claims Iran is in non-compliance—was formally activated by the European Troika in late August. This marked a dramatic escalation in Western pressure against Iran.

On September 19, the UN Security Council voted against permanently lifting pre-JCPOA sanctions on Iran. Just eight days later, the Council also rejected a resolution submitted by Russia and China—both signatories to the JCPOA alongside Iran—seeking to delay the measure. The following day, the E3 announced that all UN sanctions against Iran had officially been reimposed.

This decision effectively dismantled one of the last remaining pillars of the 2015 accord. It also exposed, once again, Europe’s lack of strategic autonomy and its willingness to follow U.S. dictates even at the expense of international law and diplomatic credibility.

Over the past fifteen years, Iran has endured successive waves of coercive measures—financial restrictions, oil embargoes, and technology bans—designed to cripple its economy and isolate its people. Yet these pressures have produced the opposite result.

Rather than weakening the nation, sanctions have accelerated Iran’s drive toward self-reliance and innovation. The country has made remarkable progress in aerospace engineering, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and nuclear science—advancements that were achieved precisely because foreign pressure left no alternative but domestic development.

The JCPOA has been largely defunct since 2018. Following the United States’ illegal withdrawal and the reimposition of sweeping sanctions, Europe failed to provide the promised economic relief that was central to the agreement. After nearly 18 months of waiting in vain, Iran began gradually reducing its nuclear commitments in response to the West’s inaction—a move fully consistent with Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA.

Russia and China, the two remaining signatories committed to the deal, have repeatedly stated that the paralysis of the JCPOA is the result of Western non-compliance. Both have called on Europe and the United States to return to genuine diplomacy rather than coercion.

Adding to the tension, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes in June targeted Iranian nuclear facilities—the very sites safeguarded under the JCPOA framework. The attacks were condemned worldwide as a blatant act of aggression. The U.S. President Donald Trump later boasted that the strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure—remarks Tehran said amounted to an open admission of war crimes.

Analysts in Tehran argue that Europe’s latest statements are a continuation of this broader Western strategy—using diplomatic pressure and selective narratives to justify economic warfare and military threats.