TEHRAN – Iran on Friday urged the European Union to change its “self-centered and irresponsible” behavior toward Tehran ahead of talks between Iranian and European diplomats in Geneva. 
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, provided a briefing on the Iranian delegation’s meeting with Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service Enrique Mora.
The Iranian delegation, he wrote on X, “had a frank discussion” with Mora on “a variety of issues, including the perspective of nuclear and sanctions lifting negotiations in light of recent developments.” 
“It was reaffirmed to him that EU should abandon its self-centered and irresponsible behavior towards issues and challenges of this continent and international matters,” he stressed. 
“Europe should not project its own problems and mistakes onto others, including with regard to the conflict in Ukraine,” he added. 
Gharibabadi added that Europe “lack any moral ground” to lecture others on human rights given the complicity of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany in the ongoing Israeli genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 44,300 Palestinians have been killed since October last year by Western-back Israeli regime.
Turning to Iran’s nuclear program, the Iranian diplomat said “Europe has failed to be a serious player due to lack of self-confidence and responsibility. Europe is in need of self-recovery.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei reaffirmed Iran’s principled stance on interaction and cooperation with other countries based on dignity, wisdom and interests.
Baghaei explained that the upcoming meeting with the three European countries will be a continuation of the talks held with the trio in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York.