🔗 Share this article

Iran is willing to resume atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue produced results, and shared fresh requests had come from intermediaries to restart talks with the US government. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Route

The foreign minister is navigating a difficult path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be acting from a position of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Talks Unexpectedly Terminated

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that ended with the US president asserting the locations had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states used their right to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iranian officials claimed they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's enrichment initiative was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed repeatedly they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Status

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems very probable the offer could be resurrected in various formats if discussions reopen.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of non-responsiveness in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a show.

Negotiating Position

In his speech to the forum, aimed to portray the US as a controlling nation that misuses the idea of international law, Araghchi stated the 12-day war demonstrated the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He asserted the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a truce.

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

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly attempted to impose their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be viable and continues the final answer to address conflicts, but its criteria, rules and principles must be adhered to."

"In case they speak to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the same language."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We acquired numerous insights from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the opponent."

He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to eliminate, continues to exist. The installations and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have developed more resilient, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."