🔗 Share this article

Tehran is willing to reinitiate atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is approached with "respect" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and shared recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to restart negotiations with the American leadership. He asserted Iran had zero secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Navigating a Complex Route

The foreign minister is treading a complex course since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a situation of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out stronger defensively 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 "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Suddenly Terminated

The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that culminated with the US president declaring the facilities had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations employed their authority to reimpose international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was agreed an local partnership with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could function inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the US official only for the agreement to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Existing Status

Iranian officials declared the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be resurrected in some form if talks reopen.

The US president last week stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Iranian officials say they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been accused of non-responsiveness in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his address to the forum, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that misuses the notion of global regulations, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be ended by armed force. He said the strikes began with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with full US knowledge and coordination, making trust hard to rebuild.

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was America and the European states that had consistently sought to dictate their will during the talks. Dialogue can still be viable and stays the final resolution to settle conflicts, but its requirements, regulations and principles must be respected."

"Provided that they address to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and respect, they will receive a response in the same tone."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We acquired many lessons from this war; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He continued: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and gear, if eliminated, will be restored; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but failed to destroy. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more endorsing of the government and the state in the wake of this attack."