Iran States It Might Resume US Nuclear Talks if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Iran is prepared to resume nuclear discussions with Washington on condition that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy was effective, and revealed fresh requests had come from mediators to resume talks with the US government. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran was not yet able to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Walking a Difficult Route
The foreign minister is walking a complex path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be proceeding from a situation of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out stronger in military terms and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.
Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Terminated
The previous five rounds of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that concluded with the American leader declaring the facilities had been obliterated. Following this, Western states employed their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the discussions that American atomic experts could function on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the deal to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Current Situation
Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be revived in some form if discussions resume.
Trump last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Iranian officials claim they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says negotiations is not part of a show.
Political Standpoint
In his speech to the forum, intended to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the concept of international law, the foreign minister said the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be resolved by combat operations. He asserted the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making faith challenging to reestablish.
Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Resolution
Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to enforce their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the final resolution to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be respected."
"Provided that they talk to the nation of Iran with the tone of respect and respect, they will get a response in the equivalent language."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We gained multiple understandings from this engagement; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to obliterate, remains in place. The installations and machinery, if damaged, will be restored; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the state in the wake of this invasion."