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

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed new appeals had come from mediators to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He asserted Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran could not yet allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is treading a challenging course since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a stance of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the previous talks.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded

The previous five rounds of discussions between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious end on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that ended with Donald Trump declaring the sites had been eliminated. Afterward, European countries used their privilege to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Magic Solution Proposed

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Representatives claimed repeatedly they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Position

Iran's diplomats stated the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be revived in some form if negotiations resume.

The US president recently claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but confidentially Iranian officials state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from Washington either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of inactivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Position

In his speech to the conference, aimed to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be ended by military means. He stated the strikes started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and culminated with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

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

Dialogue Stays the Final Solution

The foreign minister said: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the European states that had consistently sought to dictate their will during the talks. Diplomacy can still be alive and continues the ultimate resolution to settle disagreements, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"In case they talk to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and honor, they will get a answer in the identical tone."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is described by Iranian officials as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We gained multiple understandings from this conflict; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He stated: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if destroyed, will be restored; what is important is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have developed stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the administration and the country in the face of this invasion."