Tehran Declares It May Rejoin US Atomic Talks if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'

Iran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has declared.

Abbas Araghchi declared exclusively dialogue produced results, and revealed fresh requests had come from go-betweens to resume talks with the Trump administration. He said Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Path

Araghchi is treading a challenging path since Iran wishes not to be seen to be proceeding from a position of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out stronger militarily and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the stalemate in the previous talks.

Previous Discussions Suddenly Terminated

The earlier sessions of talks between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the American leader claiming the sites had been eliminated. Following this, EU nations employed their authority to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Ideal Resolution Proposed

Iranian officials said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials stated repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Current Status

Tehran representatives declared the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in various formats if negotiations reopen.

Trump in recent days said he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but in private Iranian officials state they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been charged of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran states diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Position

In his remarks to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be resolved by military means. He said the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making faith hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Stays the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to enforce their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be alive and stays the final answer to resolve conflicts, but its requirements, regulations and tenets must be adhered to."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and honor, they will receive a answer in the equivalent tone."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to destroy, continues to exist. The installations and equipment, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have become stronger, more integrated, and more endorsing of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."

Corey Gallagher
Corey Gallagher

A cultural historian and writer passionate about documenting and sharing the rich heritage of Switzerland through insightful blog posts.