TEHRAN, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi slammed the "irresponsible" approach adopted by France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, towards Iran's nuclear issue during a phone call with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper.

In the phone call on Friday, Araghchi pointed out that Iran "has never rejected a negotiation and dialogue that is based on respect for the Iranian nation's legal rights and legitimate interests," the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

He added, however, that Iran would not accept a negotiation aimed at the unilateral imposition of demands.

Cooper, for her part, underlined the need to resort to diplomacy to address the nuclear issue.

The two top diplomats highlighted the necessity to continue consultations at different levels to improve mutual understanding. They also discussed consular affairs, among others.

The E3 triggered the "snapback" mechanism of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in August, leading to the reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran in September. Enditem