Iran Says It Might Resume American Nuclear Discussions if Treated with 'Dignity' and 'Respect'

Iran is willing to restart nuclear discussions with the United States as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

The Iranian diplomat declared solely negotiations worked, and disclosed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet authorize the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Navigating a Challenging Route

Araghchi is walking a complex route since Iran aims to avoid appear to be operating from a position of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Previous Talks Abruptly Concluded

The previous five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader asserting the locations had been obliterated. Following this, Western states exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Ideal Resolution Proposed

Iranian officials said they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could work inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Existing Status

Iran's diplomats declared the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in some form if talks restart.

The US president in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from the United States either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of non-responsiveness in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Political Position

In his speech to the conference, intended to portray the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of global regulations, the foreign minister declared the fortnight-long engagement showed the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He stated the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust hard to reestablish.

Dialogue Continues the Final Resolution

The foreign minister said: "It was not Iran that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the western countries that had consistently sought to impose their demands during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be active and stays the ultimate resolution to settle disputes, but its criteria, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a response in the identical approach."

Repair and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi stated he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We gained multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the enemy."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and machinery, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have become stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the aftermath of this invasion."

Cindy Fleming
Cindy Fleming

A tech journalist and innovation strategist with over a decade of experience covering digital trends and startup ecosystems.