Tehran Declares It May Return to US Nuclear Negotiations provided that Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Iran is prepared to reinitiate nuclear talks with Washington as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.
Abbas Araghchi said solely negotiations produced results, and shared fresh requests had originated from intermediaries to resume discussions with the US government. He said Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.
Navigating a Difficult Route
The foreign minister is treading a complex course since Iran wishes not to be seen to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material domestically that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the prior discussions.
Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader claiming the facilities had been obliterated. Afterward, EU nations used their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Magic Solution Proposed
Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement 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 atomic project was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives claimed three times they had reached agreement with the US representative the US official only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Present Position
Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if discussions reopen.
The US president recently said he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials say they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran asserts diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Stance
In his remarks to the gathering, designed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war demonstrated the dispute could not be ended by armed force. He stated the assaults started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and coordination, making faith hard to restore.
Negotiations Remains the Primary Answer
Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had fled dialogue; it was America and the western countries that had consistently attempted to impose their will during the talks. Negotiations can still be active and stays the primary resolution to settle disagreements, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."
"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and respect, they will obtain a reply in the identical approach."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the opponent."
He stated: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, stays intact. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be restored; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this invasion."