Iran Declares It Could Return to US Atomic Talks if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is ready to restart nuclear negotiations with Washington as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has stated.
Abbas Araghchi declared exclusively dialogue was effective, and revealed fresh requests had been made by intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.
Walking a Challenging Route
Araghchi is walking a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a situation of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen stronger militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will never give up" – the key factor of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
Earlier Negotiations Unexpectedly Concluded
The prior phases of talks between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that culminated with the US president claiming the locations had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations employed their privilege to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Iranian officials said they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.
It had not been agreed in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Officials asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the deal to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Current Status
Iranian officials stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be resurrected in some form if talks reopen.
The American leader recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to resume discussions, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from America either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his speech to the conference, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the notion of worldwide standards, the foreign minister stated the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He said the assaults began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to reestablish.
Dialogue Remains the Primary Solution
Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the European states that had always tried to dictate their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and continues the ultimate solution to resolve conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and tenets must be followed."
"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the language of respect and honor, they will get a answer in the identical approach."
Repair and Reconstruction
In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown stronger, more integrated, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."