🔗 Share this article

Tehran is ready to restart nuclear discussions with the United States provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated solely negotiations was effective, and shared new appeals had originated from mediators to resume discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran was not yet able to permit the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Path

Araghchi is navigating a challenging path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be proceeding from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen stronger defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material on home soil that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Prior Discussions Abruptly Concluded

The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with Donald Trump declaring the locations had been eliminated. Subsequently, European countries used their right to reimpose international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an local partnership with American involvement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the negotiations that American atomic experts could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials claimed on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in various formats if negotiations resume.

Trump last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from Washington either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been charged of passivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his address to the conference, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that abuses the concept of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war revealed the clash could not be settled by military means. He asserted the strikes commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and coordination, making faith hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had always tried to enforce their desires during the discussions. Negotiations can still be alive and remains the primary solution to address disputes, but its criteria, regulations and principles must be adhered to."

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

Repair and Recovery

In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of repair and recovery, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this conflict; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He continued: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, remains in place. The facilities and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is important is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to break. The Iranian people have grown more resilient, more united, and more supportive of the government and the country in the wake of this attack."