Tehran Declares It Might Return to US Atomic Discussions if Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to restart atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to reopen discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.
Navigating a Difficult Route
Araghchi is treading a difficult path since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a position of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Negotiations Unexpectedly Terminated
The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with Donald Trump claiming the facilities had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states used their privilege to reimpose international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been agreed in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could work inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Situation
Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in some form if negotiations reopen.
Trump last week claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either directly 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 accused of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Position
In his remarks to the conference, designed to portray the US as a controlling nation that misuses the notion of international law, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the dispute could not be ended by combat operations. He asserted the assaults began with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with total Washington understanding and collaboration, making faith challenging to restore.
Dialogue Remains the Final Answer
Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly tried to dictate their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the ultimate solution to settle disputes, but its standards, regulations and principles must be adhered to."
"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and respect, they will get a response in the same approach."
Restoration and Reconstruction
In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was assured Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We acquired numerous insights from this war; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."
He continued: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have grown stronger, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the wake of this attack."