Iran States It May Return to US Atomic Discussions if Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is ready to resume atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.
The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations worked, and shared fresh requests had come from intermediaries to resume discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to allow the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Walking a Difficult Course
The foreign minister is treading a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be acting from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Discussions Abruptly Terminated
The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with Donald Trump claiming the sites had been destroyed. Afterward, Western states employed their right to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iranian officials stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an local partnership with Washington's engagement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Present Status
Iran's diplomats declared the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems very probable the offer could be resurrected in certain ways if talks resume.
The US president last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from Washington either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been criticized of passivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Position
In his remarks to the conference, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister stated the 12-day war revealed the clash could not be ended by combat operations. He stated the assaults started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence challenging to reestablish.
Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Answer
Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had always sought to dictate their demands during the talks. Dialogue can still be alive and continues the final answer to settle conflicts, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be respected."
"In case they address to the Iranian people with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a reply in the identical approach."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We learned many lessons from this conflict; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He added: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to obliterate, stays intact. The installations and equipment, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is important is the will of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the state in the face of this attack."