🔗 Share this article

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

The Iranian diplomat said exclusively dialogue was effective, and shared recent overtures had come from mediators to resume talks with the US government. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Path

Araghchi is treading a difficult course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Suddenly Concluded

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, targeted Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with the American leader declaring the locations had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries exercised their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives asserted repeatedly they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Present Position

Iranian officials stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be revived in various formats if negotiations reopen.

The US president recently stated he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to restart talks, but in private Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts dialogue is not part of a performance.

Diplomatic Stance

In his address to the conference, designed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by combat operations. He said the assaults started with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making confidence challenging to rebuild.

Dialogue Continues the Primary Resolution

Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly tried to dictate their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the primary solution to resolve disagreements, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the identical tone."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi stated he was certain Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We learned numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, remains in place. The sites and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to shatter. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the country in the face of this attack."