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Iran is prepared to resume atomic talks with Washington as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi stated exclusively dialogue worked, and disclosed recent overtures had come from go-betweens to restart talks with the US government. He claimed Iran possessed no unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet permit the global atomic watchdog to inspect attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Walking a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is walking a challenging course since Iran does not want be perceived to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the prior discussions.

Prior Negotiations Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with Donald Trump claiming the facilities had been destroyed. Subsequently, Western states used their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Offered

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could work inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted three times they had reached agreement with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Status

Iranian officials stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the offer could be reintroduced in some form if discussions reopen.

The American leader recently stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but confidentially Iranian officials say they are not yet receiving clear proposals from the United States either directly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of inactivity in the aftermath of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Standpoint

In his address to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of international law, the foreign minister declared the two-week conflict showed the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust challenging to reestablish.

Diplomacy Continues the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always tried to dictate their will during the discussions. Diplomacy can still be viable and continues the final answer to resolve disagreements, but its standards, rules and tenets must be followed."

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

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is described by Iranian officials as the conflict of restoration and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they targeted, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have become more powerful, more united, and more endorsing of the leadership and the country in the wake of this attack."