Iran Says It Could Resume US Nuclear Talks provided that Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Tehran is willing to reinitiate atomic discussions with Washington on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.
Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy worked, and shared recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to reopen talks with the US government. He claimed Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.
Walking a Difficult Course
The foreign minister is treading a complex route since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a situation of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient in military terms and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Prior Talks Unexpectedly Ended
The previous five rounds of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader asserting the sites had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries used their authority to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Suggested
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been agreed in the discussions that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Representatives asserted three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".
Existing Status
Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be revived in some form if negotiations reopen.
The US president recently said he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but in private Tehran representatives claim they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a show.
Negotiating Position
In his remarks to the forum, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that exploits the notion of international law, Araghchi stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the clash could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults began with a American requirement for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were carried out with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence difficult to rebuild.
Dialogue Continues the Final Resolution
The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly sought to impose their demands during the talks. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the primary answer to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be respected."
"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and honor, they will receive a reply in the identical language."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired multiple understandings from this war; we have identified our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."
He added: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The facilities and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more endorsing of the leadership and the nation in the wake of this attack."