Tehran Declares It Might Rejoin US Atomic Negotiations if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'

Iran is willing to resume atomic negotiations with Washington as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy worked, and shared new appeals had come from mediators to reopen talks with the US government. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran was not yet able to authorize the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Route

Araghchi is walking a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Talks Suddenly Concluded

The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the American leader claiming the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, European countries employed their authority to reinstate international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iranian officials claimed they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the talks that American atomic experts could work within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Representatives claimed three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Position

Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be revived in various formats if discussions restart.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to restart talks, but confidentially Iran's diplomats 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 Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Position

In his speech to the conference, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of international law, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be ended by armed force. He said the strikes began with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with complete American awareness and coordination, making faith hard to rebuild.

Negotiations Continues the Final Resolution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to impose their demands during the discussions. Dialogue can still be active and continues the primary solution to settle conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and tenets must be respected."

"If they speak to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and honor, they will get a response in the equivalent tone."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We learned numerous insights from this war; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He stated: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, stays intact. The facilities and equipment, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the determination of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more integrated, and more endorsing of the leadership and the nation in the face of this invasion."