Tehran Declares It Could Rejoin American Atomic Talks provided that Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'

Tehran is prepared to reinitiate nuclear talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy worked, and revealed fresh requests had come from intermediaries to reopen talks with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Course

The foreign minister is walking a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be acting from a position of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and mentally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Previous Talks Unexpectedly Concluded

The prior phases of discussions between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with US support, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president claiming the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, Western states exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Magic Solution Offered

Tehran representatives said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated three times they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Present Position

Tehran representatives stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be revived in certain ways if talks restart.

Trump last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from America either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran asserts dialogue is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his remarks to the gathering, intended to portray the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi said the 12-day war demonstrated the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He said the attacks commenced with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust challenging to rebuild.

Diplomacy Stays the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had always attempted to impose their will during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and stays the final resolution to resolve conflicts, but its standards, rules and principles must be respected."

"Provided that they talk to the nation of Iran with the tone of respect and honor, they will obtain a answer in the same language."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is described by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister stated he was certain Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired multiple understandings from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He stated: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they targeted, but failed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown stronger, more united, and more backing of the government and the state in the wake of this invasion."

Andrea Turner
Andrea Turner

Lieke is een tech-liefhebber en lifestyle-blogger met een passie voor duurzaamheid en innovatie.