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

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and disclosed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to access attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Walking a Difficult Course

Araghchi is walking a challenging course since Iran does not want be perceived to be operating from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the main reason of the deadlock in the prior discussions.

Earlier Talks Suddenly Ended

The earlier sessions of talks between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that ended with the US president declaring the locations had been destroyed. Following this, EU nations employed their right to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing 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 discussions that American atomic experts could function within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the arrangement to collapse due to "detractors in America".

Present Situation

Iran's diplomats stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in certain ways if negotiations restart.

The American leader last week said he had been receiving messages that Iran sought to resume discussions, but privately Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been criticized of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his remarks to the forum, intended to paint the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict revealed the conflict could not be resolved by combat operations. He stated the strikes started with a US demand for an total Iran submission and ended with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust hard to reestablish.

Diplomacy Stays the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had fled negotiations; it was America and the western countries that had always attempted to impose their desires during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the ultimate resolution to resolve disputes, but its requirements, regulations and tenets must be adhered to."

"In case they talk to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a response in the same language."

Repair and Recovery

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was confident Iran's military capacities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We learned numerous insights from this conflict; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He continued: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is important is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more united, and more supportive of the administration and the country in the face of this attack."