🔗 Share this article

Tehran is prepared to reinitiate nuclear talks with Washington provided that it is approached with "respect" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi said exclusively dialogue produced results, and disclosed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to reopen discussions with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Complex Path

Araghchi is walking a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more powerful defensively and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.

He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Negotiations Unexpectedly Ended

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with the American leader asserting the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, EU nations employed their privilege to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iranian officials claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Position

Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in some form if discussions restart.

The US president last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a show.

Political Standpoint

In his speech to the conference, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the concept of international law, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He asserted the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were executed with total Washington understanding and collaboration, making trust challenging to rebuild.

Negotiations Stays the Final Resolution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the western countries that had always attempted to impose their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and remains the final solution to resolve disputes, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a reply in the same language."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this conflict; we have come to know our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He added: "We effectively endured this war. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The sites and gear, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the wake of this attack."