Iran Hits Back at EU Terror Label on Elite Force

(MENAFN) Iran lashed out at the European Union Friday over what it called fundamentally flawed policies, condemning the bloc's terrorist designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and accusing EU officials of meddling in Tehran's domestic matters.

Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi delivered the sharp rebuke during a telephone conversation with Cyprus's top diplomat, Constantinos Kombos, whose nation currently chairs the EU's rotating presidency, the Iranian Foreign Ministry disclosed in an official statement.

Araghchi further challenged the EU's position on regional developments across West Asia, calling on the bloc to abandon what he characterized as counterproductive strategies toward Iran and the broader Middle East landscape.

The diplomatic exchange also covered revived nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, with both ministers addressing the sensitive diplomatic initiative.

Kombos expressed support for the renewed atomic talks between Iran and the United States, stressing the importance of sustained dialogue to defuse escalating tensions, according to Tehran's official readout.

The call occurred against a backdrop of intensifying Iran-U.S. friction and expanding American military presence throughout the region. The rival powers conducted their first round of indirect negotiations February 6 in Muscat, the Omani capital.

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