TEHRAN – The top diplomats of the United States, Germany, France, and the UK have held a meeting in which they discussed Iran and called on Tehran to “reverse course.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Saturday with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, according to a readout released by the U.S. State Department. 

“They underscored their concern about Iran’s nuclear escalation and its lack of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, calling on Iran to reverse course,” the readout said. 

It added, “They also discussed their concerns about the deepening two-way military cooperation between Iran and Russia, and its implications for the security and stability of the region and beyond.”

The top diplomats also leveled human rights accusations against Iran and accused it of pursuing “destabilizing activities.”

The meeting comes against a background of heightened tensions between Iran and the West. Officials in charge of the Munich Security Conference refrained from inviting Iranian officials this year and instead invited Iranian opposition figures who pushed for regime change at the international gathering. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the U.S. and its European allies are pushing for media furor against Iran. “The media furor of the US regime and some European countries over Iran is a futile Iranophobic attempt aimed at justifying their illegal and anti-human rights actions against the Iranian people,” he said on Twitter. 

He added, “Creating external crises and playing a blame game is a threadbare tactic of the West and the apartheid Zionist regime to cover up their internal crises amid repeated popular protests and strikes, particularly when they are facing tough challenges on the international stage.”

Kanaani has also sternly condemned French President Emmanuel Macron for meeting with Masih Alinejad, an Iranian dissident who defends economic sanctions against Iranians and even pushes for military action against the Islamic Republic.

The brief encounter took place on the sidelines of the Munich conference.

Kanaani called the anti-revolution elements, who had lately or in late November met with Macron, as “undignified clowns”.

Germany did not invite Iran to the annual Munich Security Conference, which began on Friday. Instead, three notorious elements, including Masih Alinejad, were invited to take part in the conference and meet with international dignitaries.

Writing on his Twitter account on Saturday, Kanaani said arranging such gatherings demonstrates ignorance toward the uninterrupted support for the “country, Revolution and Leadership” by the Iranians over the past four decades.