Iran Says It Could Resume US Nuclear Talks provided that Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Iran is willing to restart atomic talks with Washington on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.
The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had come from intermediaries to resume negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for security reasons.
Walking a Difficult Course
The foreign minister is walking a difficult path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more powerful militarily and emotionally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was talking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the previous talks.
Previous Talks Suddenly Ended
The earlier sessions of talks between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the US president claiming the facilities had been destroyed. Following this, European countries used their privilege to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Ideal Resolution Proposed
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could work inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed three times they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Existing Status
Iranian officials stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be revived in some form if talks resume.
Trump in recent days stated he had been getting signals that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but privately Iran's diplomats say 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 Iran's state department has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a performance.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his address to the forum, intended to depict the US as a dominant force that abuses the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the fortnight-long engagement showed the dispute could not be resolved by armed force. He stated the assaults commenced with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a truce.
Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making faith challenging to rebuild.
Dialogue Continues the Ultimate Answer
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to impose their demands during the discussions. Diplomacy can still be alive and stays the primary resolution to settle disagreements, but its requirements, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."
"Provided that they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and respect, they will get a reply in the equivalent language."
Restoration and Rebuilding
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi stated 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 reestablished. We gained many lessons from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He stated: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, remains in place. The facilities and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to break. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."