Iran Declares It Might Resume American Nuclear Negotiations if Approached with 'Respect' and 'Honor'

Tehran is willing to restart nuclear discussions with Washington on condition that it is treated with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi said solely negotiations worked, and disclosed new appeals had been made by go-betweens to restart discussions with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Path

The foreign minister is treading a challenging path since Iran wishes not to appear to be operating from a stance of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike 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 within its borders that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Earlier Discussions Abruptly Terminated

The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when Israel, with US support, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with Donald Trump claiming the facilities had been obliterated. Following this, EU nations employed their right to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Proposed

Iranian officials said they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an local partnership with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that American atomic experts could function on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Diplomats claimed on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Status

Iran's diplomats declared the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the offer could be revived in certain ways if negotiations reopen.

The American leader recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but confidentially Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from Washington 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 passivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Diplomatic Standpoint

In his address to the conference, aimed to portray the US as a dominant force that misuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister declared the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the conflict could not be settled by armed force. He stated the attacks began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust hard to rebuild.

Negotiations Remains the Final Solution

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had repeatedly tried to enforce their will during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be alive and stays the primary resolution to address disagreements, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be respected."

"If they address to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and honor, they will obtain a reply in the identical language."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."

He stated: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to destroy, continues to exist. 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 shatter. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more united, and more supportive of the government and the state in the face of this assault."