Tehran States It May Resume US Nuclear Talks if Approached with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to resume atomic negotiations with the United States on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations worked, and disclosed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the American leadership. He claimed Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the global atomic watchdog to access attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.
Walking a Challenging Route
The foreign minister is walking a difficult route since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Prior Discussions Unexpectedly Ended
The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with Donald Trump declaring the facilities had been obliterated. Afterward, European countries employed their right to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Suggested
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the talks that American atomic experts could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the deal to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Situation
Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in various formats if negotiations reopen.
The American leader recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but in private Iranian officials state they are not yet receiving clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been charged of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Stance
In his remarks to the gathering, intended to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the conflict could not be ended by combat operations. He asserted the assaults started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence hard to restore.
Diplomacy Stays the Ultimate Answer
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had fled dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently tried to dictate their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and continues the final resolution to settle conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of respect and honor, they will obtain a reply in the equivalent approach."
Restoration and Recovery
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He continued: "We managed to survive this war. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to destroy, stays intact. The sites and gear, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is important is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."