Iran States It May Return to US Atomic Talks if Treated with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.
The Iranian diplomat declared solely negotiations worked, and shared recent overtures had been made by mediators to restart discussions with the US government. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Iran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Navigating a Difficult Path
Araghchi is treading a complex path since Iran does not want appear to be operating from a position of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Earlier Talks Suddenly Terminated
The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with Donald Trump claiming the sites had been eliminated. Afterward, EU nations used their privilege to reimpose international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Magic Solution Offered
Iranian officials stated they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been settled in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "detractors in America".
Current Position
Iranian officials stated the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in certain ways if negotiations restart.
Trump last week claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but in private Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from America either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of passivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran asserts negotiations is not part of a show.
Negotiating Stance
In his remarks to the gathering, intended to paint the US as a hegemonic power that misuses the idea of global regulations, Araghchi stated the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and culminated with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence challenging to rebuild.
Diplomacy Continues the Final Answer
The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly tried to enforce their demands during the talks. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the primary solution to resolve disagreements, but its standards, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they address to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a response in the same language."
Restoration and Recovery
In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and recovery, Araghchi said he was assured Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained numerous insights from this engagement; we have discovered our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He continued: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but were unable to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have become more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the government and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."