Iran’s Rx for renewed talks with U.S.: Mutual respect

Following U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Tehran has halted talks and suspended cooperation with the IAEA, citing mistrust and demanding guarantees against future attacks before any dialogue can resume.

In the wake of the Israeli-US airstrikes in June on Iran’s nuclear facilities under UN safeguards and assassination of its nuclear scientists and military commanders, Tehran has stated that enrichment is its inalienable right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Taking into account the US insistence on “zero enrichment” which is categorically rejected by Iran as a non-negotiable redline and joining the Israel’s war by US on June 22, it turns out Tehran and Washington have not stepped out of the state of loggerheads.

Prior to the 12-day war which Israel waged on June 13, Iran and US were scheduled to meet for the sixth time indirectly in Muscat, Oman on June 15 to discuss Iran’s alternative proposal to a US draft which reportedly suggested a consortium of regional states for nuclear enrichment by Iran.

Similar media reports including on proposing Russia as a guarantor for stockpiling of Iran’s 60-percent enriched uranium were neither confirmed nor rejected officially as both Tehran and Washington adopted to keep mum.

“In only five meetings over nine weeks, US special envoy Steve Witkoff and I achieved more than I did in four years of nuclear negotiations with the failed Biden administration. We were on the cusp of a historic breakthrough. To address US concerns that Iran may one day divert its peaceful nuclear programme, we held detailed, frank discussions — including on the future of Iranian uranium enrichment,” wrote Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in an Op-Ed in Financial Times.

However, following the US-Israeli invasion, a lot of water has passed under the bridge of the mediated talks and there are dim prospects Iran and US will return before long to the negotiating table under the pre-war terms as Iran’s cautious trust in US has vanished.

Enraged by UN’s “inaction” to condemn the attacks, Iran has formally written to the UN Security Council demanding recognition of Israel and US as aggressors and called for war damages compensation by the aggressors.

Equally outraged by failure of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn the attacks to its nuclear sites under UN monitoring, Iran suspended cooperation with the nuclear watchdog and said will file a legal suit against its chief Rafael Grossi.

Tehran argued that a resolution by the agency’s Board of Governors on June 12 about its non-compliance with nuclear obligations proposed by US-E3 (France, Germany, UK) was used as pretext by Israel to attack Iran the day after.

Ever since, Iran has confirmed US wants to restart negotiations but denied it will be as early as coming days.

“We received messages from US showing their interest to return to negotiating table,” Deputy Foreign Minister Saeid Khatibzadeh told reporters on Tuesday.

Using a diplomatic language to signal Iran has not agreed with the US offer for restart of talks, he said “Negotiations at the pertinent time is a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy which will be decided by the high-ranking officials if necessary”.

Iran says it favors diplomacy and does not want the conflict to spill over the region but has demanded US to guarantee that it would not be attacked again in the middle of negotiations which is clear sign of deep distrust in its encounters with US.

“Having been wronged once, Iran is now doubly cautious. Our commitment to acting responsibly to avoid a full-scale regional war should not be misinterpreted as weakness… Although Iran has in recent days received messages indicating that the US may be ready to return to negotiations, how can we trust further engagement?” read Araghchi’s Op-Ed.

“Negotiations held under the shadow of war are inherently unstable, and dialogue pursued amid threats is never genuine… The path towards peace requires a recognition in the US that respectful dialogue, and not reckless coercion, is the only sustainable way forward,” he wrote laying the condition for restart of talks without resorting to force.

Two weeks into the ceasefire reached on June 24 which Iran terms a truce, the lull in the sound of airstrikes in Tehran and missiles in Tel Aviv is holding among concerns that it might be shaky.

Iran’s solution to step out of the ongoing nuclear standoff? Final lines of Araghchi’s article are suggesting.

“Iran remains interested in diplomacy but we have good reason to have doubts about further dialogue… Negotiations held under the shadow of war are inherently unstable, and dialogue pursued amid threats is never genuine. For diplomacy to succeed, it must be built on mutual respect.”

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