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Tehran is willing to restart atomic negotiations with Washington provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed recent overtures had come from intermediaries to restart negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Course

The foreign minister is walking a difficult route since Iran wishes not to appear to be proceeding from a situation of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with Donald Trump asserting the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their privilege to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.

It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could operate inside Iran, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the US official only for the deal to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Status

Iran's diplomats said the partnership proposal was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if negotiations restart.

The US president recently stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials say they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran states dialogue is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his address to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a dominant force that abuses the notion of international law, the foreign minister said the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be resolved by combat operations. He said the assaults started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were mounted with total Washington understanding and coordination, making trust difficult to restore.

Dialogue Stays the Primary Solution

Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently tried to impose their desires during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be alive and remains the ultimate solution to settle conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and tenets must be followed."

"If they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the approach of respect and honor, they will receive a answer in the same tone."

Repair and Recovery

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and recovery, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We learned numerous insights from this war; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the enemy."

He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to eliminate, stays intact. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is crucial is the determination of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the country in the face of this attack."