Tehran Says It Might Rejoin American Atomic Talks provided that Approached with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'
Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.
Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy was effective, and shared fresh requests had been made by mediators to resume discussions with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to authorize the global atomic watchdog to inspect struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Navigating a Challenging Route
Araghchi is treading a challenging path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be acting from a situation of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more powerful in military terms and mentally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.
He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material domestically that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the prior discussions.
Earlier Talks Unexpectedly Terminated
The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the US president declaring the facilities had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries exercised their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Tehran representatives said they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident 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 natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted three times they had achieved a deal with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".
Current Position
Iranian officials declared the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in various formats if discussions restart.
The US president recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but in private Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting coherent offers from Washington either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of inactivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran states negotiations is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his address to the forum, designed to portray the US as a dominant force that misuses the idea of international law, Araghchi said the 12-day war showed the dispute could not be ended by combat operations. He asserted the attacks commenced with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an complete request for a truce.
Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were carried out with full US knowledge and collaboration, making faith difficult to restore.
Negotiations Stays the Primary Solution
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was America and the European states that had always attempted to dictate their will during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and continues the ultimate resolution to address disputes, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."
"In case they talk to the nation of Iran with the approach of respect and honor, they will receive a answer in the identical approach."
Restoration and Reconstruction
In what is described by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was confident Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned numerous insights from this engagement; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."
He added: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have grown stronger, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the state in the aftermath of this attack."