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Tehran is ready to restart nuclear talks with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had originated from intermediaries to restart discussions with the American leadership. He claimed Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Navigating a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is walking a difficult route since Iran wishes not to be seen to be acting from a position of disadvantage, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen stronger militarily and emotionally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the impasse in the previous talks.

Earlier Talks Suddenly Ended

The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president asserting the locations had been destroyed. Afterward, Western states employed their privilege to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iranian officials stated they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that American atomic experts could function on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats asserted on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Current Status

Tehran representatives declared the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in some form if talks restart.

Trump last week said he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but in private Iranian officials state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from the United States either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of passivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.

Political Standpoint

In his speech to the gathering, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that exploits the concept of global regulations, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement demonstrated the clash could not be ended by armed force. He asserted the strikes commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were executed with total Washington understanding and coordination, making faith difficult to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Final Answer

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had fled diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had consistently tried to impose their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and remains the ultimate answer to settle conflicts, but its requirements, rules and fundamentals must be respected."

"If they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the language of respect and honor, they will get a answer in the identical tone."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi stated he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, continues to exist. The sites and equipment, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the will of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have become stronger, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the face of this attack."