Muhammad Asim Saddiqi 
Islamabad: Iran has announced that it would rebuild its nuclear facilities damaged by US and Israeli attacks stronger than before, while the mediator country of Oman urged Tehran and Washington to resume frozen diplomacy.
According to the reports, US President Donald Trump has said that the attacks had completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear program, but the full extent of the damage was not yet clear.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said during a visit to the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran that “we will rebuild (the damaged facilities) stronger than before.”
He said in a video released on his official social media handles that “Iranian scientists still have full knowledge of nuclear technology”.
President Masoud Pezeshkian did not elaborate, saying in a statement before the attacks in February that Iran’s facilities would be rebuilt if attacked.
In June, Israel launched unprecedented airstrikes against Iran, sparking a 12-day war that targeted nuclear and military sites as well as residential areas and killed several high-ranking scientists. Iran responded by firing ballistic missiles at Israeli cities.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in July, after the US announced a ceasefire, that the damage to Iran was “serious and severe.”
President Masoud Peshkeshian’s statements came as Oman, which has traditionally acted as a mediator between Iran and the US, urged the two countries to resume talks.
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidy has said at the IISS Manama Dialogue Conference in Bahrain that “we want the resumption of talks between Iran and the US.”
Iranian Government Spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajrani said on Sunday that Tehran had “received messages” about resuming diplomatic talks, but she did not provide further details.
Oman hosted five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran this year, with Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities just three days before the sixth round began.
Iran then faced the reimposition of UN sanctions, when Britain, Germany and France triggered the “snapback” mechanism for alleged violations of the 2015 nuclear deal.
