Iran Says It Might Rejoin American Atomic Negotiations if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to restart atomic talks with Washington on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations worked, and revealed fresh requests had originated from mediators to restart talks with the American leadership. He asserted Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Navigating a Complex Path
Araghchi is treading a complex path since Iran wishes not to appear to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Earlier Talks Abruptly Ended
The previous five rounds of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the American leader declaring the sites had been destroyed. Following this, EU nations employed their right to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iranian officials claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Current Situation
Iran's diplomats stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be revived in some form if talks restart.
The American leader in recent days claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to restart talks, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from Washington either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts diplomacy is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Stance
In his remarks to the gathering, designed to portray the US as a controlling nation that exploits the idea of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He stated the attacks commenced with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a ceasefire.
Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were carried out with full US knowledge and cooperation, making faith hard to reestablish.
Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Answer
Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently tried to dictate their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the ultimate answer to address disputes, but its standards, guidelines and tenets must be respected."
"Provided that they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and respect, they will get a answer in the same language."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We acquired multiple understandings from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He continued: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they targeted, but were unable to break. The nation of Iran have become more powerful, more integrated, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the wake of this invasion."