Tehran Declares It Could Resume American Atomic Discussions if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'

Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic talks with the United States as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and shared fresh requests had come from mediators to restart discussions with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Challenging Route

The foreign minister is treading a difficult route since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be operating from a position of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful militarily and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material domestically that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Earlier Discussions Suddenly Ended

The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president claiming the facilities had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries used their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had achieved a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats claimed on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the deal to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Status

Tehran representatives stated the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be reintroduced in various formats if negotiations reopen.

The American leader in recent days said he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives claim they are not yet receiving coherent offers from Washington either directly 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 the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a performance.

Political Standpoint

In his remarks to the conference, aimed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement revealed the clash could not be ended by combat operations. He asserted the strikes commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and coordination, making faith hard to restore.

Dialogue Remains the Primary Answer

The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had always attempted to dictate their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be active and remains the final resolution to resolve disagreements, but its standards, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."

"If they speak to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will get a reply in the equivalent approach."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We acquired multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if eliminated, will be restored; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the leadership and the country in the wake of this assault."

Jessica Garrett
Jessica Garrett

Dr. Lena Visser is een communicatiewetenschapper met expertise in signaalverwerking en draadloze netwerken.