Tehran Declares It Might Resume American Atomic Talks if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'

Tehran is ready to restart nuclear negotiations with the United States as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue worked, and revealed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to reopen talks with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Path

The foreign minister is navigating a difficult course since Iran aims to avoid appear to be operating from a position of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen stronger in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the prior discussions.

Previous Discussions Suddenly Concluded

The previous five rounds of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that concluded with the US president asserting the sites had been obliterated. Subsequently, European countries exercised their right to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Magic Solution Proposed

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials stated three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the deal to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Situation

Iranian officials declared the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the offer could be revived in certain ways if discussions reopen.

Trump in recent days stated he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iranian officials say they are not yet getting clear proposals from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Political Standpoint

In his address to the forum, designed to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the idea of worldwide standards, the foreign minister declared the two-week conflict showed the dispute could not be resolved by combat operations. He said the attacks began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with full US knowledge and cooperation, making trust hard to rebuild.

Dialogue Continues the Primary Answer

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had fled negotiations; it was the United States and the Western nations that had consistently sought to dictate their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the final solution to address disagreements, but its standards, rules and fundamentals must be followed."

"Provided that they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a response in the same language."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was certain Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We gained many lessons from this conflict; we have come to know our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to destroy, stays intact. The sites and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but were unable to shatter. The Iranian people have grown more resilient, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the country in the aftermath of this invasion."