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Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with the United States as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy worked, and revealed recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to restart negotiations with the US government. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to authorize the global atomic watchdog to inspect struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Route

Araghchi is treading a difficult path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be operating from a situation of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged more resilient defensively and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack 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 enrich uranium on home soil that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader asserting the sites had been obliterated. Subsequently, European countries exercised their authority to reimpose international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Officials stated three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the deal to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Situation

Tehran representatives said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in various formats if talks resume.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but in private Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting clear proposals from America either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a show.

Political Position

In his speech to the forum, aimed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that misuses the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict showed the conflict could not be resolved by combat operations. He stated the attacks began with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with full US knowledge and collaboration, making trust difficult to rebuild.

Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had consistently tried to enforce their desires during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and continues the primary resolution to settle conflicts, but its standards, rules and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"If they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the identical approach."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We acquired multiple understandings from this war; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He continued: "We effectively endured this war. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, remains in place. The sites and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The citizens of Tehran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more backing of the administration and the state in the wake of this assault."