Tehran States It May Return to US Atomic Negotiations if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to resume nuclear discussions with the United States on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi said solely negotiations produced results, and disclosed recent overtures had come from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Navigating a Complex Route
The foreign minister is walking a complex path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be operating from a position of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged stronger in military terms and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.
He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Discussions Suddenly Ended
The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that culminated with Donald Trump asserting the sites had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states employed their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Ideal Resolution Proposed
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been agreed in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Existing Position
Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in certain ways if negotiations reopen.
The US president last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but confidentially Iran's diplomats state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been criticized of passivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Position
In his remarks to the gathering, designed to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the idea of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the clash could not be settled by military means. He stated the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with complete American awareness and cooperation, making faith challenging to rebuild.
Diplomacy Stays the Primary Solution
Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the European states that had consistently sought to enforce their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the final resolution to address disputes, but its requirements, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."
"In case they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a answer in the equivalent approach."
Repair and Rebuilding
In what is described by Tehran representatives as the struggle of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister stated he was certain Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to obliterate, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to break. The nation of Iran have grown stronger, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this invasion."