Tehran Declares It Could Return to American Atomic Talks if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to resume atomic discussions with the United States provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi declared exclusively dialogue worked, and shared recent overtures had been made by mediators to resume talks with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Navigating a Difficult Path
Araghchi is treading a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out stronger militarily and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.
He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.
Previous Discussions Suddenly Terminated
The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader claiming the sites had been destroyed. Following this, EU nations exercised their privilege to restore global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Ideal Resolution Suggested
Iranian officials said they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with US participation could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could work within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Representatives claimed three times they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Position
Tehran representatives said the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in certain ways if discussions restart.
The US president recently said he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Iran's diplomats state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states diplomacy is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his speech to the conference, intended to portray the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of global regulations, the foreign minister said the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He said the assaults began with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with complete American awareness and cooperation, making confidence difficult to reestablish.
Negotiations Remains the Final Resolution
Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always sought to enforce their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be alive and continues the final resolution to address disagreements, but its standards, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they speak to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and honor, they will receive a response in the equivalent language."
Restoration and Recovery
In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We learned multiple understandings from this engagement; we have discovered our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."
He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but did not succeed to break. The citizens of Tehran have become stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the government and the country in the wake of this assault."