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Tehran is willing to resume atomic talks with the United States on condition that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed fresh requests had come from go-betweens to restart discussions with the American leadership. He said Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Walking a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is treading a difficult path since Iran does not want be seen to be operating from a situation of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had arisen more powerful militarily and emotionally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Terminated

The earlier sessions of talks between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader declaring the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, Western states used their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Tehran representatives said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Each party would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the talks that US nuclear scientists could function inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Representatives claimed on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".

Present Status

Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in some form if talks resume.

The American leader recently claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but privately Iranian officials say they are not yet receiving coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of inactivity in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Position

In his address to the gathering, designed to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the fortnight-long engagement showed the clash could not be ended by armed force. He stated the attacks started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence difficult to restore.

Diplomacy Remains the Ultimate Resolution

Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had repeatedly sought to impose their desires during the talks. Dialogue can still be active and remains the primary resolution to settle conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and fundamentals must be followed."

"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the language of respect and honor, they will get a response in the identical approach."

Repair and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the conflict of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been restored. We gained many lessons from this conflict; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He stated: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if eliminated, will be restored; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the face of this attack."