Iran States It Might Rejoin US Nuclear Talks if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to restart atomic talks with the United States on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.
The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy was effective, and revealed new appeals had come from intermediaries to resume talks with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Iran was not yet able to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Walking a Difficult Course
Araghchi is walking a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a position of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful militarily and mentally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the stalemate in the prior discussions.
Prior Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded
The previous five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with the US president asserting the locations had been destroyed. Following this, European countries exercised their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Magic Solution Offered
Iranian officials claimed they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been agreed in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Current Position
Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if talks reopen.
The US president recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iran's diplomats say they are not yet getting consistent overtures from Washington either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of inactivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran states negotiations is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Position
In his remarks to the conference, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of international law, Araghchi stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the clash could not be settled by military means. He said the strikes started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with total Washington understanding and coordination, making trust hard to rebuild.
Negotiations Stays the Final Resolution
Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had always sought to dictate their will during the talks. Negotiations can still be active and stays the primary answer to address disputes, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be followed."
"In case they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will obtain a answer in the equivalent language."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We gained many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."
He stated: "We managed to survive this war. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the state in the face of this invasion."