Iran Says It Could Return to American Nuclear Talks if Approached with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Tehran is prepared to restart nuclear negotiations with Washington on condition that it is treated with "respect" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.
Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed fresh requests had originated from mediators to resume talks with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.
Walking a Complex Path
The foreign minister is navigating a difficult course since Iran wishes not to appear to be operating from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Terminated
The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president asserting the locations had been obliterated. Afterward, EU nations used their right to reinstate international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.
Ideal Resolution Suggested
Iranian officials said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials asserted three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".
Current Situation
Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in some form if negotiations restart.
The American leader recently claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but privately Iranian officials state they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from the United States either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says negotiations is not part of a performance.
Negotiating Standpoint
In his remarks to the conference, intended to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict demonstrated the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the strikes started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an complete request for a truce.
Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust hard to rebuild.
Diplomacy Continues the Final Solution
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled negotiations; it was America and the Western nations that had always sought to impose their will during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and remains the primary answer to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."
"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the identical approach."
Repair and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was certain Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than preceding 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 internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He stated: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The sites and machinery, if damaged, will be restored; what is essential is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but failed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have become more powerful, more united, and more supportive of the leadership and the country in the aftermath of this assault."