🔗 Share this article

Tehran is ready to restart nuclear talks with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations was effective, and revealed new appeals had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.

Walking a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is navigating a challenging route since Iran does not want appear to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen stronger in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the key factor of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Talks Abruptly Ended

The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that ended with the US president claiming the facilities had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states exercised their authority to reimpose international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the discussions that American atomic experts could work inside Iran, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Current Position

Iranian officials declared the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if negotiations reopen.

The US president last week claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives claim they are not yet receiving clear proposals from America either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran asserts negotiations is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his remarks to the gathering, designed to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the concept of global regulations, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement showed the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He said the assaults started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were mounted with total Washington understanding and coordination, making faith difficult to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Primary Answer

The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently attempted to dictate their will during the discussions. Dialogue can still be active and remains the final answer to settle conflicts, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be adhered to."

"Provided that they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a answer in the identical tone."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was confident Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We learned multiple understandings from this engagement; we have identified our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have grown stronger, more united, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the aftermath of this attack."