Tehran Declares It May Rejoin US Atomic Discussions if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Honor'

Iran is ready to restart atomic discussions with Washington as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy produced results, and shared recent overtures had come from go-betweens to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Complex Route

The foreign minister is walking a challenging route since Iran does not want be seen to be acting from a stance of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Earlier Talks Suddenly Terminated

The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that culminated with Donald Trump declaring the facilities had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states used their privilege to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be assured 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 reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives asserted three times they had achieved a deal with the US representative the American negotiator only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Present Status

Iranian officials declared the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be resurrected in certain ways if talks restart.

The US president recently said he had been getting signals that Iran desired to restart talks, but in private Iranian officials say they are not yet receiving coherent offers from America either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his address to the forum, aimed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be settled by military means. He stated the attacks started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with complete American awareness and coordination, making faith hard to rebuild.

Negotiations Stays the Primary Resolution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to dictate their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and stays the ultimate resolution to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"In case they address to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the same tone."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired numerous insights from this engagement; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He added: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if damaged, will be restored; what is essential is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but failed to shatter. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the country in the wake of this attack."

Bob Short
Bob Short

Lena Visser is a freelance writer and digital storyteller with a passion for uncovering hidden gems in everyday life.