Iran Declares It Could Resume US Atomic Negotiations if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Respect'
Iran is willing to resume atomic talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and revealed recent overtures had originated from intermediaries to restart discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.
Navigating a Challenging Route
Araghchi is treading a difficult path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be operating from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out stronger in military terms and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.
He was talking at a security conference 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 deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Prior Discussions Abruptly Terminated
The previous five rounds of discussions between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader claiming the sites had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states employed their privilege to reimpose international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Magic Solution Offered
Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.
It had not been settled in the talks that US nuclear scientists could work inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Representatives asserted three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".
Present Situation
Iranian officials stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the offer could be revived in various formats if discussions restart.
The US president in recent days said he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iranian officials claim they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from the United States either directly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.
Political Stance
In his address to the gathering, designed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the notion of global regulations, Araghchi said the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be settled by military means. He said the strikes began with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust challenging to rebuild.
Negotiations Continues the Primary Solution
The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had fled negotiations; it was America and the European states that had always tried to impose their desires during the talks. Negotiations can still be alive and remains the primary answer to resolve disputes, but its criteria, rules and tenets must be adhered to."
"In case they talk to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and honor, they will get a reply in the identical approach."
Restoration and Reconstruction
In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the opponent."
He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, continues to exist. The installations and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is important is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have become stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the government and the country in the wake of this attack."