🔗 Share this article

Tehran is ready to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with the United States provided that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and shared fresh requests had originated from intermediaries to restart negotiations with the US government. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is navigating a difficult course since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a situation of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the previous talks.

Earlier Talks Unexpectedly Ended

The prior phases of talks between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that ended with the US president claiming the locations had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations exercised their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Offered

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed three times they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Current Position

Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be revived in various formats if talks reopen.

The American leader last week claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but in private Iranian officials claim they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of passivity in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says negotiations is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Position

In his speech to the conference, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that exploits the notion of global regulations, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement showed the conflict could not be resolved by military means. He asserted the attacks started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were mounted with total Washington understanding and collaboration, making faith hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always sought to enforce their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be active and continues the ultimate resolution to address disputes, but its criteria, rules and principles must be adhered to."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the language of dignity and respect, they will get a answer in the identical approach."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the battle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He added: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to destroy, remains in place. The installations and machinery, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the will of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to destroy. The Iranian people have become more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the administration and the state in the wake of this attack."