Iran States It May Resume US Nuclear Talks if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to restart atomic negotiations with Washington on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has announced.
The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to reopen discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Navigating a Complex Course
Araghchi is treading a challenging course since Iran wishes not to be seen to be acting from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen stronger militarily and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Negotiations Abruptly Concluded
The previous five rounds of discussions between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that concluded with the American leader declaring the facilities had been eliminated. Following this, EU nations used their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Proposed
Iranian officials stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been agreed in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with the US representative the US official only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Current Position
Tehran representatives said the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the offer could be reintroduced in various formats if discussions reopen.
Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but in private Tehran representatives claim they are not yet receiving clear proposals from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Stance
In his address to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of international law, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He said the attacks commenced with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence hard to reestablish.
Negotiations Remains the Final Answer
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to impose their demands during the discussions. Negotiations can still be active and remains the final solution to resolve disputes, but its standards, regulations and tenets must be respected."
"If they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and honor, they will get a reply in the identical approach."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the battle of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We gained multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."
He continued: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to eliminate, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but were unable to shatter. The nation of Iran have become more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the state in the wake of this assault."