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Tehran is willing to restart nuclear discussions with Washington as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to resume talks with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the global atomic watchdog to visit bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Walking a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is navigating a complex route since Iran wishes not to appear to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged stronger defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed 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.

Earlier Talks Abruptly Concluded

The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with Donald Trump asserting the facilities had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations exercised their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats stated three times they had achieved a deal with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Status

Iranian officials declared the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in various formats if negotiations resume.

Trump recently stated he had been receiving messages that Iran desired to restart talks, but confidentially Iran's diplomats say they are not yet getting clear proposals from the United States either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been charged of inactivity in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Position

In his remarks to the forum, aimed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the notion of international law, the foreign minister declared the two-week conflict demonstrated the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He stated the strikes started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making faith hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Primary Solution

The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had always tried to dictate their demands during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and continues the ultimate solution to address disagreements, but its criteria, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."

"In case they talk to the nation of Iran with the language of respect and respect, they will receive a answer in the same approach."

Repair and Recovery

In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the struggle of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the opponent."

He stated: "We managed to survive this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to eliminate, continues to exist. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but failed to break. The nation of Iran have developed stronger, more united, and more endorsing of the leadership and the country in the aftermath of this invasion."