Tehran and Muscat
Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, demanded on Monday that the United States commit explicitly to foregoing any future military strikes against Iran before returning to nuclear negotiations, according to reports by BBC and Reuters. (see BBC-cited Reuters report for more details). This demand came amid mounting rhetoric from Tehran despite attempts from Washington for talks between August 2015 and January 2016, although nothing concrete came of these efforts ( see Indianexpress.com for example and Voxnews for instance ).
As part of a temporary ceasefire negotiated between the Trump administration and Qatar, Takht-Ravanchi highlighted that while Washington has signaled interest in restarting indirect talks about Tehran’s nuclear program, Washington has not clarified if its recent attacks against Iranian nuclear facilities will cease.
He told BBC that in order to return to negotiations, the US must refrain from any further attacks against Iran; otherwise it risks bombing Tehran again as Iran attempts to engage in dialogue. He noted this was important because further attacks would put Iran’s hopes of engagement at risk and globaltimes.cn also has this advice: “To return to negotiating tables diplomatically with Iran,” and cannot risk bombing again while engaging in dialogue. He concluded his statement with this quote:
He referenced the June conflict, which started on June 13 when Israel attacked multiple Iranian targets – such as Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities–and escalated on June 22 when U.S. forces launched Operation Midnight Hammer to drop bunker-busting bombs on Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan; respectively en.wikipedia.org gives more detail.
Iranian missile strikes soon followed, including Operation Glad Tidings of Victory on June 23 and without resulting in any American casualties (see Wikipedia and The Times respectively for details).
Takht-Ravanchi dismissed media reports suggesting a U.S. offer of incentives to Iran’s enrichment program, such as economic aid or an easing of sanctions. He stated, “the level can be discussed, but saying you shouldn’t have enrichment and we will bomb you if that does not agree is simply the law of the jungle”
IndianExpress.com plus 4
Tehran’s position echoes underlying issues around trust: deep mistrust pervades after strikes disrupted earlier rounds of indirect talks held this spring – five in Oman and Rome with varied results (ouverture).
Wikipedia.org for further reference on this matter
Six scheduled peace talks between Muscat and Israel for June 15 were cancelled when Israeli strikes started on June 13, halting diplomacy completely and effectively stopping further progress on any possible agreement between Muscat and Israel. (Sources: IndianExpress and Wikipedia.org for this story.
International reactions to the strikes have varied widely; while several European nations and the UN urged restraint and diplomatic solutions, China and Russia denounced them as violations of international law (ApNews.com: +1) [As per The Times UK (apnews.co.uk: +1]).
Iran, in response to mounting international tension, reaffirmed its intent to continue uranium enrichment despite U.S. demands for zero enrichment (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, July 11, 2014).
Experts warn of a potentially volatile regional climate given the current impasse. Former diplomats note that without clear assurance from Washington against further military action, Tehran may view any dialogue as potentially risky and thus undermine incentives for compromise. According to one analyst, negotiations “can’t happen under threat of bombs”. This statement by Iran indicates both its strategic calculus and domestic political messaging strategies.
Takht-Ravanchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to peaceful nuclear development under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and was in favor of keeping enrichment under international safeguards, but only if U.S. pledges not to strike further during negotiations (timesofindia.indiatimes.com; globaltimes.cn; voxnews.al).
As yet, the United States has not made such a pledge. President Donald Trump made remarks on Truth Social in which he denied offering economic incentives or engaging directly in negotiations with Iran compared with President Obama’s approach under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Agreement (JCPOA). To compare with former President Obama’s approach under JCPOA he contrasted himself to Trump who “neglected to negotiate directly”. acelasi Timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Diplomatic sources in Muscat have reported that mediators are making efforts to bridge the trust deficit; however, until Washington makes clear its military stance and Iran comes back to the table for negotiations again, leaving uncertainty as regards both diplomacy and regional stability.