Tehran Says It Might Resume US Nuclear Negotiations provided that Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to resume nuclear talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has stated.
The Iranian diplomat stated only diplomacy was effective, and revealed new appeals had come from go-betweens to restart negotiations with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.
Walking a Complex Route
The foreign minister is walking a challenging path since Iran does not want be seen to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.
He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium domestically that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the prior discussions.
Prior Talks Abruptly Ended
The earlier sessions of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with US support, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with Donald Trump declaring the sites had been eliminated. Afterward, EU nations exercised their privilege to reinstate international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been settled in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate inside Iran, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Representatives claimed on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Existing Situation
Tehran representatives said the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be revived in various formats if talks resume.
The US president last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been criticized of passivity in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Political Stance
In his address to the conference, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that misuses the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict revealed the dispute could not be settled by military means. He asserted the assaults began with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence difficult to reestablish.
Negotiations Remains the Final Answer
The foreign minister said: "It was not Iran that had fled negotiations; it was the United States and the Western nations that had repeatedly sought to enforce their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be active and continues the ultimate solution to address conflicts, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be adhered to."
"If they address to the nation of Iran with the language of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the same tone."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been restored. We learned multiple understandings from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the enemy."
He continued: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the government and the country in the wake of this assault."