Tehran Says It Might Rejoin US Nuclear Negotiations if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Iran is ready to restart atomic talks with Washington on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has stated.
The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy produced results, and shared recent overtures had come from intermediaries to resume discussions with the US government. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Walking a Challenging Course
Araghchi is navigating a challenging path since Iran does not want be perceived to be operating from a position of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and mentally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the prior discussions.
Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded
The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with Donald Trump declaring the facilities had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states used their privilege to reinstate international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Iranian officials said they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Situation
Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be resurrected in certain ways if discussions restart.
Trump in recent days said he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Tehran representatives claim they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a show.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his remarks to the conference, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that misuses the idea of worldwide standards, the foreign minister declared the two-week conflict showed the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He stated the strikes began with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with full US knowledge and cooperation, making faith hard to restore.
Diplomacy Remains the Primary Solution
Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the Western nations that had always tried to impose their demands during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the primary solution to settle conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of respect and respect, they will receive a response in the equivalent tone."
Restoration and Reconstruction
In what is described by Tehran representatives as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We learned multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He continued: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The sites and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to shatter. The nation of Iran have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more endorsing of the administration and the country in the wake of this attack."