Tehran Says It Could Return to American Atomic Talks provided that Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is ready to restart atomic negotiations with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has announced.
Abbas Araghchi stated solely negotiations produced results, and disclosed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the global atomic watchdog to inspect attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.
Navigating a Complex Course
The foreign minister is walking a difficult course since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a stance of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more resilient in military terms and emotionally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Prior Talks Suddenly Ended
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the US president asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states used their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Suggested
Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Existing Status
Tehran representatives declared the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be revived in various formats if talks restart.
The US president recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but in private Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of inactivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a show.
Political Position
In his address to the conference, aimed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi said the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be ended by armed force. He stated the attacks started with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to restore.
Negotiations Remains the Final Resolution
The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently attempted to impose their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be alive and stays the final answer to address conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they address to the nation of Iran with the tone of respect and honor, they will receive a response in the same language."
Repair and Rebuilding
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and recovery, Araghchi stated he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."
He stated: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to destroy, stays intact. The installations and machinery, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more united, and more backing of the administration and the country in the aftermath of this assault."