🔗 Share this article

Tehran is willing to restart atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has declared.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy worked, and revealed new appeals had come from mediators to restart discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Complex Path

The foreign minister is treading a difficult path since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and mentally from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Prior Talks Abruptly Ended

The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president declaring the facilities had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries employed their right to reimpose international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Existing Position

Tehran representatives said the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the offer could be resurrected in some form if negotiations resume.

The US president recently stated he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials state they are not yet getting coherent offers from America either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of inactivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Political Position

In his remarks to the gathering, designed to paint the US as a controlling nation that misuses the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by combat operations. He said the assaults commenced with a US demand for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making faith challenging to restore.

Dialogue Stays the Ultimate Solution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had always sought to impose their will during the discussions. Dialogue can still be active and remains the final resolution to address conflicts, but its requirements, regulations and principles must be respected."

"If they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the same tone."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of restoration and recovery, Araghchi stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to destroy, remains in place. The sites and equipment, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have become stronger, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the state in the face of this assault."