Iran Declares It Might Resume American Nuclear Negotiations provided that Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to reinitiate atomic talks with Washington as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and revealed fresh requests had been made by intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the US government. He asserted Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.
Walking a Difficult Path
Araghchi is navigating a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a stance of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium domestically that it will never give up" – the key factor of the impasse in the previous talks.
Prior Negotiations Suddenly Terminated
The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with Donald Trump claiming the facilities had been eliminated. Following this, Western states employed their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Proposed
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been settled in the talks that American atomic experts could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".
Existing Situation
Iranian officials stated the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be revived in certain ways if negotiations resume.
The American leader recently stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iranian officials claim they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of passivity in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his speech to the conference, aimed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister stated the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be resolved by military means. He stated the assaults started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an complete request for a ceasefire.
Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence difficult to reestablish.
Dialogue Remains the Primary Resolution
The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly attempted to enforce their desires during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and continues the ultimate solution to settle conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."
"In case they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a response in the same approach."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, Araghchi said he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We gained multiple understandings from this war; we have discovered our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."
He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but were unable to shatter. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more united, and more endorsing of the government and the country in the face of this attack."