Tehran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.
Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy produced results, and disclosed new appeals had been made by intermediaries to restart negotiations with the American leadership. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to access attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.
The foreign minister is navigating a complex path since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a situation of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.
He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.
The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that ended with the US president asserting the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.
Iran's diplomats said they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.
It had not been decided in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could function inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".
Iran's diplomats stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be resurrected in various formats if talks reopen.
The American leader in recent days stated he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats state they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from the United States either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states dialogue is not part of a performance.
In his remarks to the conference, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of global regulations, Araghchi said the 12-day war showed the dispute could not be ended by combat operations. He said the strikes started with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an unconditional call for a truce.
Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were executed with total Washington understanding and coordination, making faith hard to reestablish.
Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had consistently tried to enforce their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be active and continues the ultimate solution to address conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."
"If they address to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a answer in the identical approach."
In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the struggle of repair and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We gained many lessons from this war; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."
He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to destroy, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is important is the will of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but failed to break. The citizens of Tehran have grown stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the country in the wake of this assault."
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