Tehran Says It Could Resume US Nuclear Negotiations if Treated with 'Respect' and 'Respect'
Iran is prepared to restart nuclear talks with Washington provided that it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.
Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy worked, and revealed recent overtures had come from mediators to reopen discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran could not yet permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.
Walking a Complex Course
The foreign minister is treading a challenging route since Iran does not want appear to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the previous talks.
Earlier Talks Suddenly Terminated
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president asserting the facilities had been obliterated. Afterward, European countries used their privilege to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an local partnership with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been settled in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Officials stated three times they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".
Existing Position
Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in certain ways if discussions restart.
Trump recently stated he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to resume discussions, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving coherent offers from the United States either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his address to the gathering, aimed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict showed the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making confidence difficult to restore.
Dialogue Remains the Primary Answer
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the Western nations that had consistently attempted to impose their demands during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be active and remains the primary resolution to resolve disputes, but its criteria, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."
"Provided that they speak to the Iranian people with the language of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the same approach."
Repair and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the adversary."
He stated: "We managed to survive this war. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to destroy, continues to exist. The facilities and machinery, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the country in the aftermath of this assault."