Iran Says It Could Return to American Nuclear Negotiations provided that Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to restart nuclear discussions with the United States provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations produced results, and shared recent overtures had originated from intermediaries to restart discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Walking a Difficult Path
The foreign minister is navigating a complex course since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a position of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more powerful defensively and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.
Previous Talks Suddenly Ended
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president declaring the locations had been destroyed. Following this, European countries exercised their right to restore global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Magic Solution Offered
Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives asserted on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with the US representative the American negotiator only for the arrangement to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Current Status
Tehran representatives stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in some form if negotiations restart.
The US president last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran asserts dialogue is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his address to the gathering, intended to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the notion of international law, Araghchi said the fortnight-long engagement revealed the dispute could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to rebuild.
Dialogue Continues the Primary Answer
Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had consistently attempted to impose their will during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be viable and remains the ultimate resolution to settle conflicts, but its criteria, rules and principles must be respected."
"Provided that they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and respect, they will get a reply in the identical language."
Repair and Rebuilding
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."
He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to destroy, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is important is the determination of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The citizens of Tehran have grown stronger, more integrated, and more endorsing of the administration and the country in the face of this invasion."