Tehran Says It Could Return to American Atomic Discussions if Treated with 'Respect' and 'Respect'
Tehran is willing to restart nuclear talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.
Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy was effective, and shared new appeals had been made by intermediaries to restart discussions with the US government. He claimed Iran had zero secret atomic facilities, and Iran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Navigating a Difficult Course
The foreign minister is treading a complex route since Iran wishes not to be seen to be operating from a position of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium domestically that it will never give up" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Earlier Discussions Abruptly Ended
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president asserting the sites had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations employed their privilege to restore global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".
Current Position
Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be revived in some form if discussions restart.
The American leader last week stated he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to restart talks, but in private Iran's diplomats state they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from the United States either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Position
In his remarks to the gathering, intended to paint the US as a controlling nation that misuses the concept of worldwide standards, the foreign minister stated the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be resolved by military means. He said the attacks started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making faith hard to rebuild.
Dialogue Stays the Final Answer
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the European states that had consistently attempted to enforce their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be alive and continues the primary resolution to settle disagreements, but its standards, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."
"If they address to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the same approach."
Repair and Recovery
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the battle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We learned multiple understandings from this conflict; we have come to know our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have grown more resilient, more united, and more endorsing of the leadership and the state in the face of this attack."