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Tehran is willing to restart atomic talks with the United States provided that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy worked, and shared new appeals had come from go-betweens to resume negotiations with the US government. He said Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Route

Araghchi is treading a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be operating from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material within its borders that it will never give up" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Prior Negotiations Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with US support, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the US president declaring the locations had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries exercised their authority to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Offered

Iranian officials claimed they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives claimed on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the deal to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Status

Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if talks restart.

The American leader last week said he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to resume discussions, but confidentially Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet getting coherent offers from the United States either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his speech to the conference, intended to portray the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of global regulations, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the clash could not be ended by armed force. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust hard to reestablish.

Diplomacy Continues the Primary Solution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was the United States and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to impose their desires during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and stays the final resolution to settle conflicts, but its requirements, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the language of respect and honor, they will get a response in the equivalent language."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is described by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We acquired multiple understandings from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to obliterate, stays intact. The sites and gear, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but failed to destroy. The Iranian people have developed more resilient, more united, and more supportive of the administration and the state in the aftermath of this assault."