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Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic negotiations with Washington as long as it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy was effective, and revealed recent overtures had originated from intermediaries to restart discussions with the US government. He said Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Navigating a Complex Route

The foreign minister is treading a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be perceived to be acting from a situation of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen stronger defensively and emotionally from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.

He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will never give up" – the key factor of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Previous Negotiations Unexpectedly Concluded

The previous five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with the American leader claiming the facilities had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries used their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Offered

Iran's diplomats said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the discussions that American atomic experts could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Officials asserted three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".

Current Position

Tehran representatives said the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the offer could be reintroduced in certain ways if negotiations resume.

The American leader last week stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet receiving coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his remarks to the conference, designed to depict the US as a dominant force that misuses the concept of global regulations, Araghchi declared the 12-day war showed the clash could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the assaults commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an complete request for a ceasefire.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust challenging to restore.

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had deserted dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had consistently tried to dictate their desires during the negotiations. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the primary answer to settle disagreements, but its criteria, guidelines and fundamentals must be respected."

"Provided that they talk to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a answer in the equivalent approach."

Repair and Recovery

In what is described by Iranian officials as the struggle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister stated he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to obliterate, stays intact. The sites and equipment, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is important is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but failed to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more backing of the administration and the country in the face of this attack."