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Iran is willing to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States provided that it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations worked, and revealed recent overtures had been made by intermediaries to reopen discussions with the American leadership. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Navigating a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is treading a difficult course since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be proceeding from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient defensively and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material within its borders that it will always maintain" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Prior Negotiations Abruptly Terminated

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that ended with Donald Trump asserting the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, EU nations employed their privilege to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an local partnership with US participation could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Situation

Iranian officials said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems very probable the proposal could be revived in some form if negotiations resume.

Trump in recent days stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to restart talks, but privately Iranian officials state they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran says dialogue is not part of a performance.

Diplomatic Standpoint

In his remarks to the conference, intended to portray the US as a controlling nation that misuses the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict demonstrated the conflict could not be resolved by armed force. He stated the assaults started with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and coordination, making trust hard to restore.

Negotiations Remains the Primary Solution

The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the Western nations that had always tried to enforce their demands during the discussions. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the primary answer to settle conflicts, but its requirements, rules and tenets must be adhered to."

"In case they address to the nation of Iran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will get a response in the equivalent language."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and recovery, Araghchi stated he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the enemy."

He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to obliterate, stays intact. The facilities and gear, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is important is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the leadership and the country in the wake of this invasion."