Iran States It Might Return to US Nuclear Discussions provided that Treated with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to reinitiate atomic negotiations with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.
The Iranian diplomat stated only diplomacy produced results, and revealed new appeals had originated from mediators to restart discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.
Walking a Challenging Course
The foreign minister is treading a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.
He was talking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Earlier Talks Abruptly Concluded
The previous five rounds of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that concluded with Donald Trump asserting the facilities had been destroyed. Afterward, EU nations used their authority to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.
Magic Solution Offered
Tehran representatives said they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been agreed in the talks that US nuclear scientists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Existing Status
Iran's diplomats stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in some form if negotiations resume.
The American leader last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from Washington either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his speech to the conference, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement revealed the clash could not be resolved by armed force. He stated the assaults commenced with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust challenging to reestablish.
Diplomacy Remains the Final Solution
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always tried to impose their demands during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and continues the final answer to address conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and tenets must be followed."
"Provided that they talk to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a answer in the same approach."
Restoration and Rebuilding
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this engagement; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the adversary."
He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to destroy, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have developed stronger, more integrated, and more backing of the government and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."