Tehran Says It Could Rejoin American Nuclear Negotiations if Approached with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'

Tehran is ready to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with the United States on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.

The Iranian diplomat declared exclusively dialogue was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had originated from intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Path

The foreign minister is treading a difficult route since Iran wishes not to appear to be proceeding from a situation of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient defensively and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium domestically that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Talks Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the American leader claiming the sites had been eliminated. Following this, Western states used their privilege to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Iranian officials stated they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that American atomic experts could operate inside Iran, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Situation

Iran's diplomats declared the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if talks restart.

The US president recently said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but in private Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of inactivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a show.

Negotiating Position

In his remarks to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that abuses the concept of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be resolved by armed force. He asserted the strikes began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence challenging to reestablish.

Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the European states that had always attempted to impose their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and remains the primary resolution to settle disagreements, but its standards, regulations and tenets must be followed."

"Provided that they talk to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a reply in the identical language."

Repair and Recovery

In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they targeted, but failed to destroy. The Iranian people have become more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the wake of this invasion."

Steve Curry
Steve Curry

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