Iran Says It May Rejoin American Atomic Discussions if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is ready to restart atomic negotiations with Washington as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has declared.
Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue was effective, and shared fresh requests had come from go-betweens to reopen talks with the American leadership. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Navigating a Challenging Route
Araghchi is walking a challenging route since Iran wishes not to be seen to be operating from a position of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the main reason of the deadlock in the prior discussions.
Earlier Talks Unexpectedly Concluded
The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile end on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with Donald Trump asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states used their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Tehran representatives stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the arrangement to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".
Present Position
Iran's diplomats stated the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be resurrected in certain ways if talks resume.
The US president in recent days claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to restart talks, but confidentially Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting coherent offers from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of passivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his speech to the forum, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that abuses the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict showed the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the attacks started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust difficult to restore.
Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Solution
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently tried to enforce their will during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be active and continues the ultimate resolution to settle disputes, but its standards, regulations and principles must be respected."
"Provided that they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and respect, they will get a answer in the identical tone."
Restoration and Rebuilding
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We learned many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."
He continued: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The facilities and machinery, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to shatter. The nation of Iran have become stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the state in the wake of this assault."