Tehran Declares It Might Rejoin US Nuclear Talks if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic talks with the United States provided that it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.
The Iranian diplomat stated solely negotiations worked, and revealed fresh requests had originated from mediators to resume talks with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Walking a Difficult Path
The foreign minister is treading a difficult course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a position of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen stronger in military terms and emotionally from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.
Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that concluded with the American leader asserting the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries used their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Iranian officials stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with American involvement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been agreed in the negotiations that American atomic experts could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats claimed three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the deal to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Situation
Tehran representatives stated the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the offer could be resurrected in various formats if negotiations resume.
The American leader in recent days said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving clear proposals from America either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts dialogue is not part of a performance.
Political Position
In his address to the gathering, intended to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi said the two-week conflict demonstrated the dispute could not be resolved by military means. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence difficult to restore.
Negotiations Stays the Final Answer
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly tried to dictate their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be viable and continues the final resolution to address conflicts, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be adhered to."
"Provided that they speak to the Iranian people with the language of respect and honor, they will get a answer in the equivalent approach."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We acquired many lessons from this war; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."
He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and machinery, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the will of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to shatter. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more backing of the government and the nation in the wake of this attack."