Tehran Declares It May Rejoin American Nuclear Talks if Treated with 'Respect' and 'Honor'

Iran is prepared to resume atomic discussions with Washington on condition that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has declared.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy worked, and revealed recent overtures had come from mediators to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Iran was not yet able to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is treading a challenging path since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Talks Abruptly Terminated

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with Donald Trump asserting the locations had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations employed their privilege to restore international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iranian officials stated they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was decided an local partnership with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the talks that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials claimed repeatedly they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the deal to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Position

Tehran representatives stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in certain ways if discussions resume.

The US president recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his speech to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a dominant force that exploits the concept of international law, Araghchi declared the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the dispute could not be ended by armed force. He asserted the strikes began with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Stays the Final Resolution

Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly attempted to dictate their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the ultimate solution to address disagreements, but its requirements, guidelines and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"In case they address to the Iranian people with the language of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the equivalent language."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We learned multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to destroy, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they targeted, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more united, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."