🔗 Share this article

Tehran is ready to restart atomic talks with the United States as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy was effective, and shared new appeals had come from mediators to resume discussions with the US government. He claimed Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet authorize the global atomic watchdog to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Course

Araghchi is walking a challenging path since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out stronger militarily 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 absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.

Prior Discussions Abruptly Concluded

The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader declaring the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states used their authority to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership with Washington's engagement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to claim victory 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 discussions that Washington's technical specialists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Diplomats asserted on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with the US representative the US official only for the agreement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Present Situation

Iranian officials declared the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be resurrected in some form if discussions reopen.

The American leader in recent days said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to restart talks, but confidentially Iranian officials state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Position

In his speech to the gathering, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of international law, the foreign minister said the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

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

Negotiations Stays the Final Answer

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had always attempted to enforce their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be viable and remains the primary resolution to settle disputes, but its standards, guidelines and tenets must be followed."

"If they address to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and honor, they will obtain a response in the identical approach."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is described by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He added: "We effectively endured this war. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to obliterate, stays intact. The facilities and machinery, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but did not succeed to destroy. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the country in the aftermath of this attack."