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

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and revealed recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to reopen discussions with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the global atomic watchdog to inspect attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Walking a Complex Path

The foreign minister is treading a challenging route since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a stance of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will never give up" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Previous Negotiations Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that culminated with Donald Trump claiming the locations had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states employed their right to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Tehran representatives said they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Existing Position

Tehran representatives declared the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in some form if discussions restart.

The US president last week claimed he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives claim they are not yet getting clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been charged of passivity in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says negotiations is not part of a spectacle.

Political Position

In his remarks to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a dominant force that abuses the notion of international law, Araghchi said the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by military means. He asserted the assaults started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making confidence hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Remains the Primary Answer

The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always tried to dictate their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be viable and continues the final solution to settle conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"If they address to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and honor, they will obtain a answer in the identical approach."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's military capacities "are much stronger than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the adversary."

He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to eliminate, remains in place. The sites and machinery, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this invasion."