🔗 Share this article

Tehran is prepared to resume nuclear discussions with the United States as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to resume negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet permit the global atomic watchdog to access bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Course

The foreign minister is navigating a challenging course since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and mentally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Previous Negotiations Suddenly Terminated

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with the US president asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Following this, European countries exercised their authority to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iranian officials said they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership 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 confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials claimed three times they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the deal to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Present Situation

Iran's diplomats stated the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in some form if discussions reopen.

The American leader last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iranian officials claim they are not yet receiving coherent offers from America either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been charged of passivity in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his remarks to the conference, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the dispute could not be resolved by armed force. He said the assaults began with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust challenging to reestablish.

Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Solution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the European states that had always tried to impose their demands during the discussions. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the primary solution to resolve conflicts, but its requirements, regulations and principles must be followed."

"In case they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the identical approach."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the conflict of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He stated: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is important is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to destroy. The nation of Iran have become stronger, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the face of this invasion."