Iran Blames France and Europe for 'Helping Create Conditions' for the War

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei directly accused European countries — with France named explicitly — of bearing partial responsibility for the war against Iran. 'European countries have unfortunately helped create these conditions,' Baghaei said. 'Instead of insisting on the rule of law, instead of standing up to the bullying and excesses of the United States, they spoke and agreed with them at the UN Security Council regarding the discussion on restoring sanctions, and all these things together emboldened the American and Zionist parties to continue committing their crimes.' The accusation targets the 2025 UNSC snapback sanctions process — in which European powers (France, UK, Germany) backed the restoration of UN sanctions on Iran's nuclear programme under the JCPOA snapback mechanism — as a key trigger that signalled to the US and Israel that diplomatic protection for Iran was exhausted. By blaming Macron's France specifically, Iran is undermining the French diplomatic track that Macron is actively pursuing: if Paris is regarded in Tehran as complicit in creating the conditions for the war, the Macron-Pezeshkian channel loses credibility as a genuine neutral broker. The accusation also signals Iran's deep distrust of European mediation.