Tehran is prepared to restart atomic talks with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has declared.
The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed new appeals had originated from intermediaries to restart talks with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.
The foreign minister is navigating a difficult route since Iran does not want be seen to be acting from a stance of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen stronger militarily and emotionally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.
He was talking at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.
The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with Donald Trump claiming the sites had been destroyed. Following this, European countries employed their privilege to reinstate international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.
Tehran representatives 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 refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed on multiple occasions they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Iranian officials stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the offer could be revived in various formats if discussions reopen.
Trump recently said he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Tehran representatives say they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from the United States either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of inactivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran asserts dialogue is not part of a performance.
In his remarks to the gathering, intended to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the idea of international law, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be ended by combat operations. He stated the strikes started with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an complete request for a truce.
Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence hard to restore.
The foreign minister said: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently sought to dictate their desires during the talks. Negotiations can still be viable and remains the primary resolution to settle conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and fundamentals must be adhered to."
"If they talk to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and respect, they will get a answer in the identical tone."
In what is described by Iranian officials as the conflict of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained many lessons from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."
He added: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to eliminate, stays intact. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be restored; what is important is the determination of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the administration and the country in the wake of this attack."
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