Tehran Declares It Might Resume American Atomic Discussions if Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to resume atomic talks with the United States provided that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has declared.
Abbas Araghchi stated solely negotiations produced results, and revealed new appeals had come from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He claimed Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Iran could not yet allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Walking a Difficult Course
Araghchi is walking a complex course since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a position of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.
Prior Talks Suddenly Terminated
The earlier sessions of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that culminated with the US president claiming the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations used their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Perfect Agreement Proposed
Tehran representatives said they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to declare success 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 agreed in the talks that US nuclear scientists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".
Present Situation
Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if discussions reopen.
Trump in recent days stated he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but in private Tehran representatives state they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from the United States either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of inactivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a show.
Diplomatic Position
In his address to the gathering, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that misuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister said the two-week conflict revealed the dispute could not be resolved by military means. He stated the attacks commenced with a American requirement for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an complete request for a truce.
Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and collaboration, making trust hard to reestablish.
Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Solution
The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently attempted to impose their will during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and continues the ultimate solution to address conflicts, but its requirements, rules and fundamentals must be respected."
"In case they address to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will receive a answer in the same approach."
Recovery and Rebuilding
In what is described by Iranian officials as the struggle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the opponent."
He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to obliterate, remains in place. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but were unable to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the wake of this assault."