Tehran Says It Might Return to US Nuclear Discussions if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to resume nuclear talks with Washington provided that it is treated with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has announced.
Abbas Araghchi declared exclusively dialogue was effective, and revealed recent overtures had originated from mediators to restart discussions with the American leadership. He asserted Iran had zero secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Navigating a Difficult Path
Araghchi is walking a challenging route since Iran aims to avoid appear to be proceeding from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.
He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.
Earlier Talks Abruptly Concluded
The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the US president declaring the sites had been obliterated. Subsequently, Western states used their right to reinstate international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Offered
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been decided in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Diplomats claimed on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the arrangement to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Existing Situation
Iranian officials said the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if discussions restart.
Trump in recent days said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives state they are not yet receiving coherent offers from America either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of inactivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a show.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his address to the gathering, intended to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister said the 12-day war revealed the conflict could not be ended by military means. He stated the attacks began with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust hard to restore.
Dialogue Remains the Primary Solution
Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had always sought to impose their will during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and stays the primary answer to address disagreements, but its standards, rules and tenets must be adhered to."
"Provided that they address to the nation of Iran with the tone of respect and respect, they will get a reply in the equivalent approach."
Repair and Recovery
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was certain Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We gained numerous insights from this engagement; we have come to know our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He added: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, stays intact. The facilities and gear, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but were unable to destroy. The Iranian people have become more resilient, more cohesive, and more backing of the government and the nation in the face of this attack."