🔗 Share this article

Tehran is prepared to resume nuclear talks with the United States on condition that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy worked, and revealed new appeals had been made by mediators to resume discussions with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to access struck enrichment centers for security reasons.

Walking a Difficult Course

The foreign minister is walking a challenging course since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen stronger defensively and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.

Prior Talks Abruptly Terminated

The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that ended with the US president claiming the sites had been destroyed. Following this, Western states employed their right to reimpose international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Proposed

Tehran representatives said they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials claimed on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the US official only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Status

Tehran representatives said the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be resurrected in certain ways if discussions reopen.

The American leader recently said he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting clear proposals from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his address to the conference, designed to portray the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister declared the fortnight-long engagement showed the conflict could not be settled by military means. He said the strikes commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with complete American awareness and collaboration, making trust challenging to restore.

Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Resolution

The foreign minister said: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently tried to dictate their will during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and continues the primary solution to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, rules and principles must be adhered to."

"If they talk to the nation of Iran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will receive a answer in the identical approach."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was assured Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been restored. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to destroy, continues to exist. The facilities and machinery, if eliminated, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more integrated, and more backing of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."