Tehran Says It Could Return to US Atomic Talks if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'
Tehran is prepared to restart atomic discussions with the United States as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.
The Iranian diplomat declared solely negotiations worked, and disclosed recent overtures had come from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He claimed Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran could not yet permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.
Navigating a Complex Route
The foreign minister is walking a challenging route since Iran does not want be seen to be acting from a position of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful militarily and emotionally from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.
He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.
Prior Negotiations Suddenly Ended
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader claiming the sites had been eliminated. Following this, Western states exercised their right to restore international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.
Perfect Agreement Suggested
Iranian officials said they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been settled in the talks that American atomic experts could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".
Present Situation
Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if talks reopen.
Trump recently claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of passivity in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.
Diplomatic Standpoint
In his remarks to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the notion of worldwide standards, the foreign minister stated the 12-day war showed the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He said the attacks commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and ended with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.
Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with total Washington understanding and coordination, making faith challenging to rebuild.
Diplomacy Stays the Final Resolution
The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the European states that had consistently tried to enforce their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be viable and continues the primary resolution to address conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."
"In case they address to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and honor, they will obtain a response in the same approach."
Repair and Recovery
In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He added: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to obliterate, remains in place. The facilities and machinery, if eliminated, will be restored; what is important is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have developed more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the nation in the wake of this invasion."