Tehran Declares It May Rejoin American Atomic Negotiations provided that Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Tehran is prepared to resume atomic discussions with Washington as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has declared.
Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue worked, and revealed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to reopen discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Navigating a Difficult Course
Araghchi is navigating a difficult route since Iran aims to avoid appear to be acting from a situation of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged more powerful in military terms and emotionally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was talking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
Earlier Discussions Abruptly Ended
The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader declaring the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries exercised their right to reinstate international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Perfect Agreement Offered
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been agreed in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Officials stated repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative the US official only for the deal to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".
Current Status
Iranian officials stated the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in certain ways if negotiations resume.
The US president last week said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from America either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran asserts negotiations is not part of a show.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his speech to the forum, designed to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the concept of global regulations, Araghchi said the two-week conflict revealed the dispute could not be resolved by armed force. He said the attacks commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence hard to reestablish.
Dialogue Continues the Primary Resolution
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was the United States and the Western nations that had repeatedly tried to impose their desires during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the ultimate resolution to address disagreements, but its criteria, regulations and tenets must be respected."
"In case they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and respect, they will receive a response in the equivalent tone."
Repair and Recovery
In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We learned numerous insights from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He continued: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and machinery, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have become more resilient, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the country in the wake of this attack."