Tehran Declares It Could Resume American Nuclear Discussions if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Iran is willing to restart nuclear negotiations with the United States as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.
The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations worked, and revealed new appeals had been made by intermediaries to resume negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Navigating a Challenging Course
Araghchi is navigating a challenging route since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the prior discussions.
Previous Talks Abruptly Terminated
The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with Donald Trump claiming the sites had been obliterated. Following this, Western states employed their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Ideal Resolution Suggested
Tehran representatives stated they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been agreed in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Officials claimed on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".
Present Status
Iran's diplomats said the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be revived in certain ways if negotiations restart.
Trump recently claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iranian officials state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from Washington either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says negotiations is not part of a performance.
Diplomatic Position
In his speech to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the idea of international law, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be settled by armed force. He stated the strikes started with a American requirement for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with full US knowledge and collaboration, making faith challenging to reestablish.
Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Solution
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had deserted dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had always sought to dictate their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be viable and continues the ultimate solution to resolve disagreements, but its standards, rules and fundamentals must be followed."
"If they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the equivalent language."
Repair and Reconstruction
In what is described by Iranian officials as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have discovered our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He stated: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, stays intact. The sites and machinery, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but were unable to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the face of this invasion."