Iran Declares It May Rejoin US Nuclear Negotiations if Handled with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Iran is ready to resume atomic negotiations with the United States provided that it is handled with "respect" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.
Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations produced results, and disclosed new appeals had come from mediators to resume talks with the American leadership. He said Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.
Walking a Complex Course
The foreign minister is treading a difficult course since Iran does not want be seen to be proceeding from a position of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will never give up" – the main reason of the stalemate in the previous talks.
Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Ended
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that culminated with Donald Trump declaring the facilities had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries employed their authority to reimpose international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Tehran representatives said they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was agreed an local partnership with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been settled in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials asserted repeatedly they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".
Present Status
Iran's diplomats stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if negotiations reopen.
Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but privately Iranian officials say they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of inactivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a performance.
Political Position
In his remarks to the gathering, intended to portray the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of international law, the foreign minister said the 12-day war showed the clash could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and cooperation, making trust challenging to rebuild.
Diplomacy Stays the Primary Answer
The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had consistently attempted to enforce their demands during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be active and stays the final answer to settle disputes, but its standards, regulations and principles must be followed."
"Provided that they talk to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will get a answer in the same language."
Repair and Recovery
In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We gained multiple understandings from this war; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He stated: "We successfully passed this war. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if eliminated, will be restored; what is essential is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but were unable to break. The nation of Iran have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the country in the aftermath of this assault."