Tehran Says It May Rejoin American Atomic Talks if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Respect'
Tehran is ready to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with Washington on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.
The Iranian diplomat stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and disclosed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to resume negotiations with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Walking a Complex Course
The foreign minister is navigating a complex path since Iran wishes not to appear to be operating from a position of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more resilient in military terms and mentally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Prior Negotiations Suddenly Ended
The earlier sessions of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that concluded with Donald Trump asserting the facilities had been destroyed. Afterward, Western states exercised their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Offered
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership with Washington's engagement could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".
Existing Status
Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be reintroduced in certain ways if talks resume.
Trump last week stated he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats say they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a show.
Political Position
In his speech to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that misuses the concept of worldwide standards, the foreign minister declared the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be resolved by military means. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.
Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making faith difficult to restore.
Diplomacy Stays the Final Solution
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to dictate their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and remains the ultimate resolution to address conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."
"In case they address to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will obtain a response in the identical approach."
Restoration and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have discovered our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He continued: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The facilities and machinery, if damaged, will be restored; what is important is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but failed to break. The Iranian people have become more powerful, more united, and more endorsing of the leadership and the state in the face of this assault."