Iran States It May Return to American Atomic Talks provided that Handled with 'Respect' and 'Respect'

Tehran is willing to restart atomic talks with the United States provided that it is approached with "respect" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy produced results, and revealed new appeals had come from go-betweens to restart negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is treading a complex path since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a stance of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more powerful defensively and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Prior Negotiations Abruptly Ended

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president claiming the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations employed their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Ideal Resolution Suggested

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the negotiations that American atomic experts could function within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Situation

Tehran representatives declared the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in some form if discussions restart.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from America either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Position

In his speech to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the concept of worldwide standards, the foreign minister stated the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be settled by armed force. He asserted the attacks commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and coordination, making confidence hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Final Solution

Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had always attempted to dictate their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the final answer to resolve disputes, but its requirements, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"Provided that they address to the nation of Iran with the language of respect and honor, they will obtain a answer in the equivalent approach."

Repair and Recovery

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We learned numerous insights from this war; we have discovered our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He stated: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to eliminate, stays intact. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is essential is the will 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 more powerful, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."

Carolyn Saunders
Carolyn Saunders

A tech historian and cybersecurity expert passionate about preserving and securing vintage computing systems.