Tehran Declares It May Resume US Nuclear Discussions if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Tehran is willing to reinitiate atomic talks with the United States as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.
Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and shared new appeals had been made by intermediaries to reopen talks with the US government. He said Iran had zero secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Walking a Complex Path
The foreign minister is treading a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a stance of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient in military terms and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will never give up" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Prior Negotiations Abruptly Concluded
The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader asserting the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states used their right to restore global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Ideal Resolution Proposed
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the talks that American atomic experts could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials stated three times they had secured an understanding with the US representative the US official only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Present Status
Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if talks resume.
The American leader last week said he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been accused of passivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says negotiations is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Position
In his remarks to the forum, designed to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the concept of global regulations, the foreign minister declared the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust challenging to reestablish.
Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer
The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had always attempted to enforce their demands during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the final resolution to address disputes, but its requirements, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."
"If they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will obtain a reply in the same language."
Repair and Recovery
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the adversary."
He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be restored; what is important is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but failed to destroy. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more united, and more backing of the government and the country in the face of this invasion."