DUBAI, July 25. /TASS/. Iranian diplomats will demand explanations from the representatives of the EU Three (the UK, Germany, France) during July 25 talks in Istanbul regarding their unconstructive position on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated.

"Iran has previously expressed protest over the inappropriate stance [of the EU Three], and of course, at today’s meeting, we will demand clarifications from them," Baghaei was quoted as saying by IRNA news agency. He emphasized that the trio has no "legal or logical grounds" to accuse Iran of violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as the European countries themselves "long ago violated their obligations to Tehran."

"The Zionist regime [Israel - TASS], the main opponent of the JCPOA, and the one who pushed the US to unilaterally withdraw from the agreement, is now seeking to influence European policies. But the question is whether Britain, Germany, and France are ready to sacrifice their reputation for the plans of the Zionists," the Iranian diplomat added.

On July 25, the first round of talks between Iran and the EU Three on resolving the crisis around Tehran’s nuclear program commenced in Istanbul. Prior to that, the Axios portal said, citing sources, that the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and France had agreed to set a timeframe for the nuclear deal with Iran for late August 2025. Otherwise, the E3 warned that it would trigger the snapback mechanism to reimpose the UN Security Council sanctions that were lifted based on the 2015 agreements.

In 2015, Iran, along with the UK, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), resolving a crisis that began in 2002 amid Western accusations that Tehran was seeking nuclear weapons. However, in 2018, Trump announced the US exit from the JCPOA and reinstated all sanctions against Iran. In response, Iran declared in 2020 that it would scale back its commitments under the JCPOA and restrict access for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors.

In 2025, five rounds of negotiations between Iran and the US failed to yield significant progress. The diplomatic process was hindered by Israel’s military operation targeting Iran, followed by US strikes on three key sites related to Tehran’s nuclear program.