🔗 Share this article

Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic discussions with Washington as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy was effective, and shared fresh requests had come from mediators to reopen discussions with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran could not yet allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Navigating a Complex Path

The foreign minister is walking a complex route since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient defensively and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Talks Suddenly Concluded

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with Donald Trump declaring the sites had been destroyed. Following this, EU nations employed their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the negotiations that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated repeatedly they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in some form if discussions reopen.

The American leader last week said he had been getting signals that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet getting coherent offers from America either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the wake of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Stance

In his address to the conference, aimed to depict the US as a dominant force that misuses the notion of international law, the foreign minister declared the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the dispute could not be resolved by military means. He stated the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to restore.

Dialogue Remains the Final Answer

Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had always attempted to dictate their will during the talks. Negotiations can still be alive and continues the primary resolution to address conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and tenets must be followed."

"Provided that they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the same tone."

Recovery and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and recovery, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired multiple understandings from this conflict; we have identified our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to obliterate, stays intact. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the will of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but were unable to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have become more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the leadership and the state in the wake of this assault."