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Iran is prepared to resume nuclear discussions with the United States as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi declared only diplomacy produced results, and disclosed new appeals had originated from go-betweens to reopen talks with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is walking a difficult route since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more resilient militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Prior Negotiations Suddenly Terminated

The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president declaring the sites had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Tehran representatives said they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with American involvement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that American atomic experts could work within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated three times they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Existing Situation

Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be revived in some form if talks restart.

Trump in recent days said he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving clear proposals from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of inactivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his speech to the gathering, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that exploits the idea of international law, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the assaults began with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence hard to rebuild.

Negotiations Remains the Final Resolution

Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had repeatedly sought to impose their will during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and continues the final resolution to settle conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."

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

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was confident Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to obliterate, remains in place. The facilities and gear, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; 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 shatter. The citizens of Tehran have become stronger, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the face of this attack."