The Trump administration has, through intermediaries, stated that it wants to resume negotiations with Tehran. But before that can happen, the "very important issue" of potential future attacks during the talks must be clarified, notes Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi in an interview with BBC.
He also says that Iran will insist on being able to enrich uranium for what it claims are peaceful purposes. This is because the country is "denied access to nuclear energy materials" for its research programs and therefore must be self-sufficient.
The level (of enrichment) can be discussed, the capacity can be discussed, but to say that you are not allowed to enrich - you are not allowed to have any enrichment, otherwise we will bomb you - that is the law of the jungle, says Takht-Ravanchi.
Under the rubble?
It was on June 21 that the US entered the ongoing war between Israel and Iran by bombing the nuclear facilities Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan with powerful so-called bunker busters.
Shortly thereafter, Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire.
The international community has long feared that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Exactly how much damage the US inflicted on the country's nuclear energy program through the bombings is unclear.
President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran's nuclear program has been "eradicated", which has been contradicted by classified preliminary reports from the Pentagon, which state that neither Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium nor the centrifuges used have been destroyed. Trump has lashed out at media outlets that have published such information.
At a secret briefing for congressmen last week, US CIA chief John Ratcliffe said that a crucial nuclear facility had been destroyed and that it would "take years" for Tehran to catch up, according to sources familiar with the matter to AP. Ratcliffe also said that large parts of Iran's enriched uranium are likely buried under the rubble in the facilities Isfahan and Fordo.
Can enrich again
The head of the UN's nuclear energy agency IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said over the weekend that "significant but not total" damage had been inflicted on the facilities. Iran can likely resume uranium enrichment again within a few months, according to Grossi.
Prior to the war, the IAEA estimated that Iran has around 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. For the uranium to be used in weapons, it needs to reach an enrichment level of 90 percent, which is only a few technical steps away.
