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Tehran is prepared to resume atomic talks with Washington as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations was effective, and disclosed new appeals had come from go-betweens to restart discussions with the US government. He claimed Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran was not yet able to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Walking a Challenging Route

The foreign minister is walking a challenging course since Iran does not want be seen to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more resilient defensively and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with US support, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that culminated with the American leader declaring the locations had been eliminated. Following this, Western states employed their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium 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 exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Representatives asserted three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Status

Tehran representatives said the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if talks reopen.

The American leader in recent days said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to restart talks, but privately Iranian officials say they are not yet receiving clear proposals from America either straightforwardly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Stance

In his speech to the forum, intended to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of worldwide standards, the foreign minister stated the 12-day war revealed the conflict could not be resolved by combat operations. He stated the strikes began with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and culminated with an complete request for a truce.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were executed with full US knowledge and cooperation, making trust difficult to reestablish.

Diplomacy Continues the Final Answer

Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly sought to impose their will during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be active and stays the ultimate answer to resolve disputes, but its requirements, regulations and tenets must be adhered to."

"Provided that they talk to the Iranian people with the language of dignity and respect, they will get a response in the same approach."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is described by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We gained numerous insights from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the opponent."

He stated: "We successfully passed this engagement. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to destroy, continues to exist. The installations and machinery, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the will of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to break. The citizens of Tehran have become more resilient, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the country in the wake of this assault."