Tehran Says It Might Resume US Nuclear Discussions if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with the United States as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy produced results, and disclosed new appeals had originated from intermediaries to restart talks with the US government. He asserted Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect struck enrichment centers for protective measures.
Navigating a Challenging Course
Araghchi is treading a complex route since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be acting from a situation of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.
Previous Talks Suddenly Concluded
The prior phases of discussions between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president declaring the sites had been destroyed. Following this, European countries exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Ideal Resolution Proposed
Tehran representatives said they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed repeatedly they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Existing Status
Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in certain ways if negotiations restart.
The American leader in recent days said he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from Washington either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran says negotiations is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Position
In his address to the conference, intended to portray the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement showed the clash could not be ended by military means. He stated the attacks started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an complete request for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with full US knowledge and cooperation, making faith hard to reestablish.
Dialogue Stays the Primary Resolution
The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had consistently tried to impose their will during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the primary resolution to address conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."
"Provided that they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the identical language."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We learned numerous insights from this conflict; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He added: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, stays intact. The sites and machinery, if eliminated, will be restored; what is essential is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to break. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the leadership and the state in the wake of this invasion."