Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear talks with the United States provided that it is handled with "respect" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.
Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy produced results, and disclosed recent overtures had originated from mediators to reopen talks with the Trump administration. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the global atomic watchdog to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.
Araghchi is walking a complex route since Iran wishes not to be seen to be acting from a position of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.
He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the prior discussions.
The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with US support, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that culminated with the US president declaring the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, EU nations exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.
Tehran representatives stated they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.
It had not been agreed in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".
Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in certain ways if negotiations restart.
Trump recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting consistent overtures from America either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states dialogue is not part of a show.
In his address to the conference, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that misuses the concept of global regulations, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the clash could not be resolved by armed force. He said the assaults began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a truce.
Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence challenging to rebuild.
The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had consistently tried to enforce their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be active and continues the ultimate answer to settle disputes, but its requirements, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."
"Provided that they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and respect, they will receive a response in the equivalent language."
In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We gained many lessons from this war; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the enemy."
He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to destroy, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have become more resilient, more integrated, and more backing of the administration and the nation in the wake of this invasion."
A digital artist and lifestyle writer passionate about blending technology with creative expression in urban environments.