Iran States It May Return to US Nuclear Talks if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear discussions with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy worked, and revealed recent overtures had been made by mediators to reopen negotiations with the US government. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to authorize the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Walking a Difficult Course
The foreign minister is navigating a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a stance of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more powerful militarily and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Talks Suddenly Ended
The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader asserting the locations had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states employed their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Ideal Resolution Offered
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with American involvement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.
It had not been agreed in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Representatives asserted on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the arrangement to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Existing Situation
Tehran representatives declared the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if discussions restart.
The American leader last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to restart talks, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of inactivity in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a show.
Negotiating Position
In his address to the gathering, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that misuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister stated the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the conflict could not be resolved by armed force. He said the strikes commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with full US knowledge and coordination, making trust hard to rebuild.
Dialogue Stays the Primary Solution
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had fled negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently attempted to dictate their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be viable and remains the final solution to resolve conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and fundamentals must be followed."
"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and honor, they will obtain a reply in the equivalent tone."
Repair and Rebuilding
In what is described by Iranian officials as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We acquired many lessons from this war; we have identified our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the enemy."
He added: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and gear, if damaged, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to shatter. The nation of Iran have become more resilient, more united, and more supportive of the government and the country in the aftermath of this attack."