Iran Says It May Resume US Nuclear Negotiations provided that Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to resume nuclear discussions with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.
The Iranian diplomat stated solely negotiations was effective, and disclosed new appeals had originated from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Walking a Challenging Path
Araghchi is treading a challenging path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be proceeding from a situation of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the previous talks.
Earlier Talks Abruptly Concluded
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader claiming the locations had been obliterated. Subsequently, Western states employed their right to reinstate international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Ideal Resolution Offered
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was decided an local partnership with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Representatives asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Present Situation
Iranian officials stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if talks reopen.
The US president last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials claim they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of inactivity in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a show.
Negotiating Position
In his address to the conference, intended to depict the US as a dominant force that exploits the notion of international law, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the dispute could not be resolved by combat operations. He stated the attacks commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an complete request for a ceasefire.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were carried out with full US knowledge and cooperation, making trust difficult to restore.
Negotiations Remains the Primary Answer
The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly sought to enforce their demands during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and stays the primary solution to address disputes, but its standards, rules and principles must be adhered to."
"In case they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and respect, they will get a reply in the equivalent tone."
Restoration and Recovery
In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."
He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, stays intact. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the determination of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but did not succeed to destroy. The nation of Iran have become more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the leadership and the country in the aftermath of this assault."