TEHRAN - Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has asserted that Iran’s nuclear energy know-how and determination to further advance its peaceful nuclear industry could not simply be destroyed through military aggression.
“One cannot obliterate the technology and science for peaceful uranium enrichment through bombings,” the top diplomat told CBS News in an interview that was aired on Tuesday.
The Israeli regime launched an unprovoked war on the Islamic Republic on June 13, taking aim at the country’s nuclear facilities, among many other targets.
The United States, which had already been contributing heavily to the aggression through unprecedented military and intelligence support, stepped in towards the end of its 12-day span, hitting several nuclear sites located in the central and north-central parts of Iran.
Araghchi’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump alleged that the targeted sites had been “obliterated” in the American attacks -- an assertion that was later debunked by the Pentagon’s own assessments.
The foreign minister underlined that the Islamic Republic was completely willing and capable of recuperating the losses, painting a promising picture of how fast the country could do so.
“If there is this will on our part, and the will exists in order to once again make progress in this industry, we will be able to expeditiously repair the damages and make up for the lost time,” he stated.
The official ascribed the country’s determination to further enhance its peaceful nuclear energy expertise to the nuclear industry’s having turned into a source of national pride.
According to Araghchi, the nation’s pride in the industry was powerfully demonstrated during its decisive defense of the country, including its nuclear installations, throughout the Israeli-imposed war.
“We have also gone through 12 days of imposed war, therefore, people will not easily back down from enrichment,” he said, adding, “During the war, we demonstrated and proved our ability to defend ourselves.”
The official, additionally, underlined that the country would promptly act in self-defense if faced with renewed aggression.
Asked about the prospect of fresh talks with the U.S., Araghchi said, “I don’t think negotiations will restart as quickly as that.”
“In order for us to decide to reengage, we will have to first ensure that America will not revert back to targeting us in a military attack” during the diplomatic process, he stated.
“I think with all these considerations, we still need more time.”
The two sides began holding Omani-mediated talks in April that lasted for six rounds.
The process was, however, plagued by the U.S.’s recurrently 
insisting -- in chorus with the Israeli regime -- on Iran’s reducing its enrichment levels to “zero,” a demand that has been roundly ruled out by the Islamic Republic.
The American aggression has also cast the U.S.’s intentions in further doubt, prompting Iranian officials to dismiss excessive reliance on the talks and ask why Washington would resort to military aggression against the country if it had truly given diplomacy a chance.
Araghchi, in a telephone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty on Monday, lamented that the United Nations Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency have declined to condemn the Zionist regime’s war of aggression against Iran.
Araghchi pointed to the widespread condemnation of the Israeli aggression against Iran by the international community, particularly Islamic countries and key regional organizations.
He also criticized two major responsible international bodies, namely the UN Security Council and the IAEA, for their refusal to condemn the Israeli attacks.
The foreign minister emphasized Iran’s firm pursuit of efforts to identify the aggressors and obtain reparations, the ministry’s website reported.
For his part, Abdelatty welcomed the end of the Zionist regime’s aggression and stressed Egypt’s continued efforts to help de-escalate tensions in the region, including efforts to establish a ceasefire in Gaza.