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Iran is ready to reinitiate nuclear discussions with Washington as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy worked, and shared fresh requests had come from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Iran could not yet permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Navigating a Challenging Course

Araghchi is navigating a difficult route since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a stance of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient in military terms and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Ended

The prior phases of talks between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and bitter conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader asserting the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, European countries used their right to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iranian officials stated they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could function inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative the US official only for the deal to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Iranian officials stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be resurrected in some form if discussions reopen.

The US president last week said he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to restart talks, but in private Iranian officials claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Position

In his speech to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of international law, the foreign minister stated the fortnight-long engagement revealed the conflict could not be resolved by armed force. He said the assaults started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an complete request for a truce.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were executed with full US knowledge and cooperation, making trust difficult to restore.

Dialogue Remains the Ultimate Solution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently sought to enforce their will during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the final solution to settle conflicts, but its requirements, rules and principles must be followed."

"In case they address to the Iranian people with the language of respect and honor, they will receive a reply in the same tone."

Repair and Recovery

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of recovery and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been restored. We acquired many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He added: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, remains in place. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the determination of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the face of this invasion."