🔗 Share this article

Tehran is prepared to restart nuclear talks with the United States provided that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has declared.

The Iranian diplomat stated exclusively dialogue was effective, and revealed new appeals had originated from intermediaries to reopen negotiations with the US government. He claimed Iran had zero secret atomic facilities, and Iran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.

Navigating a Challenging Route

The foreign minister is treading a challenging path since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Earlier Talks Unexpectedly Concluded

The previous five rounds of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president claiming the sites had been eliminated. Afterward, European countries exercised their privilege to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Magic Solution Offered

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".

Existing Status

Iran's diplomats declared the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in certain ways if discussions restart.

Trump last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to resume discussions, but privately Iranian officials say they are not yet getting clear proposals from America either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his address to the conference, intended to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of international law, the foreign minister declared the two-week conflict revealed the dispute could not be ended by military means. He stated the attacks started with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust challenging to reestablish.

Negotiations Continues the Ultimate Resolution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently tried to enforce their will during the talks. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the ultimate answer to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, rules and principles must be followed."

"Provided that they address to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and honor, they will obtain a reply in the identical language."

Repair and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was certain Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this war; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He stated: "We effectively endured this war. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The sites and equipment, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more backing of the administration and the state in the aftermath of this invasion."