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Tehran is prepared to restart atomic discussions with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy produced results, and revealed new appeals had come from intermediaries to restart discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to access attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is walking a challenging course since Iran does not want be perceived to be acting from a stance of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen stronger militarily and psychologically from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Negotiations Abruptly Concluded

The prior phases of discussions between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile end on 12 June when Israel, with US support, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader claiming the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, EU nations exercised their right to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iranian officials stated they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with US participation could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since local refinement would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could function inside Iran, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Representatives asserted repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Situation

Tehran representatives stated the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the proposal could be reintroduced in certain ways if negotiations reopen.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but in private Tehran representatives claim they are not yet receiving clear proposals from Washington either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of passivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Stance

In his address to the conference, designed to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the idea of international law, Araghchi stated the fortnight-long engagement showed the clash could not be resolved by armed force. He asserted the attacks commenced with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and culminated with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were mounted with full US knowledge and coordination, making trust difficult to restore.

Negotiations Remains the Final Resolution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the Western nations that had consistently attempted to dictate their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the final answer to address conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"In case they talk to the nation of Iran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will receive a reply in the same tone."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi 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 numerous insights from this war; we have identified our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He continued: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and machinery, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is important is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but failed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the nation in the aftermath of this attack."