🔗 Share this article

Tehran is willing to resume atomic talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy produced results, and disclosed new appeals had originated from intermediaries to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to access attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Course

Araghchi is treading a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be proceeding from a situation of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the prior discussions.

Prior Talks Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with Donald Trump claiming the sites had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Proposed

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives claimed on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Current Status

Iran's diplomats stated the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the offer could be revived in some form if negotiations restart.

The US president in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from America either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran asserts negotiations is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his remarks to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the notion of international law, Araghchi said the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the clash could not be ended by military means. He stated the attacks commenced with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an complete request for a ceasefire.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and cooperation, making confidence difficult to restore.

Dialogue Stays the Final Answer

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the Western nations that had repeatedly tried to dictate their will during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and continues the primary resolution to settle disagreements, but its requirements, rules and principles must be adhered to."

"Provided that they talk to the nation of Iran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will obtain a answer in the equivalent language."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We learned numerous insights from this conflict; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He added: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The facilities and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but did not succeed to break. The nation of Iran have become stronger, more integrated, and more endorsing of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."