Iran Says It Might Return to American Nuclear Discussions provided that Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to reinitiate nuclear talks with Washington on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has stated.
The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations produced results, and revealed new appeals had been made by intermediaries to reopen talks with the US government. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Walking a Difficult Course
Araghchi is treading a complex route since Iran wishes not to be seen to be proceeding from a position of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen more powerful militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.
Previous Talks Suddenly Terminated
The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader asserting the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states used their authority to restore global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been settled in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Representatives stated three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Existing Position
Iranian officials declared the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in some form if talks restart.
The American leader recently said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials say they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of inactivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a show.
Political Position
In his remarks to the forum, aimed to depict the US as a dominant force that abuses the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi said the 12-day war revealed the clash could not be resolved by combat operations. He said the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and coordination, making confidence challenging to reestablish.
Dialogue Remains the Final Answer
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently sought to dictate their will during the talks. Diplomacy can still be viable and continues the ultimate resolution to resolve conflicts, but its requirements, rules and principles must be followed."
"If they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of respect and honor, they will receive a response in the equivalent approach."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."
He added: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to eliminate, stays intact. The installations and equipment, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have become more powerful, more united, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the wake of this attack."