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Iran is ready to resume nuclear discussions with Washington on condition that it is treated with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue was effective, and disclosed new appeals had come from go-betweens to restart negotiations with the US government. He claimed Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for security reasons.

Navigating a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is walking a complex course since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a stance of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful in military terms and mentally from the coordinated strike on its enrichment centers in June.

He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material on home soil that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Earlier Negotiations Suddenly Ended

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with the US president declaring the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, EU nations used their authority to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Diplomats claimed three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the deal to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Current Status

Iranian officials declared the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be revived in various formats if negotiations restart.

Trump last week claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of passivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his address to the gathering, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that exploits the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict revealed the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a truce.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Final Resolution

The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always sought to impose their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be viable and remains the final solution to resolve disputes, but its requirements, guidelines and fundamentals must be followed."

"In case they talk to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and honor, they will receive a answer in the equivalent language."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is described by Tehran representatives as the battle of restoration and recovery, Araghchi stated he was confident Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained numerous insights from this conflict; we have come to know our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He added: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if destroyed, will be restored; what is essential is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they sought to undermine, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the face of this assault."