Iran Says It May Resume US Atomic Talks provided that Handled with 'Respect' and 'Honor'
Iran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has announced.
The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy produced results, and shared fresh requests had come from mediators to resume discussions with the American leadership. He claimed Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.
Walking a Complex Course
Araghchi is treading a challenging path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful defensively and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.
He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.
Previous Talks Abruptly Terminated
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that culminated with Donald Trump asserting the locations had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations used their privilege to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Ideal Resolution Offered
Iranian officials stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with American involvement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.
It had not been decided in the discussions that American atomic experts could work inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats stated repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".
Current Situation
Iranian officials stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be resurrected in various formats if discussions resume.
The American leader last week claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from America either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a spectacle.
Negotiating Position
In his speech to the conference, intended to paint the US as a dominant force that misuses the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict revealed the dispute could not be resolved by armed force. He said the attacks began with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.
Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust challenging to restore.
Diplomacy Stays the Primary Solution
The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had always attempted to enforce their demands during the discussions. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the final resolution to settle disagreements, but its criteria, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."
"In case they talk to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and honor, they will receive a response in the same approach."
Recovery and Reconstruction
In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the battle of recovery and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."
He added: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is important is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The Iranian people have become stronger, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the nation in the face of this attack."