🔗 Share this article

Tehran is ready to resume atomic negotiations with the United States provided that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi said solely negotiations worked, and revealed new appeals had been made by mediators to resume negotiations with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Navigating a Challenging Course

The foreign minister is treading a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more powerful defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Talks Suddenly Terminated

The previous five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that culminated with Donald Trump claiming the locations had been obliterated. Following this, Western states used their authority to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Suggested

Iranian officials said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been decided in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials stated three times they had achieved a deal with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Position

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if talks reopen.

Trump last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Iranian officials say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers 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 Tehran's diplomatic corps has been charged of inactivity in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Political Stance

In his remarks to the forum, intended to portray the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of global regulations, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He asserted the attacks commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to rebuild.

Diplomacy Remains the Primary Answer

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently attempted to dictate their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the ultimate solution to address conflicts, but its criteria, regulations and tenets must be followed."

"Provided that they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and honor, they will get a reply in the identical tone."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is described by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be restored; what is important is the determination of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but failed to break. The nation of Iran have developed more resilient, more integrated, and more endorsing of the government and the country in the face of this assault."