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Iran is willing to reinitiate atomic discussions with Washington as long as it is approached with "respect" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and shared fresh requests had originated from go-betweens to restart discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran was not yet able to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is walking a challenging path since Iran does not want be seen to be proceeding from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful defensively and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium on home soil that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Negotiations Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with the American leader asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations exercised their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Iranian officials claimed they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's enrichment initiative was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could function on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the deal to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Present Situation

Tehran representatives stated the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the offer could be revived in some form if discussions resume.

Trump in recent days claimed he had been getting signals that Iran desired to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of non-responsiveness in the wake of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Position

In his address to the conference, designed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that misuses the concept of international law, Araghchi stated the 12-day war demonstrated the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He said the strikes commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with full US knowledge and coordination, making trust difficult to reestablish.

Dialogue Stays the Final Solution

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had always tried to impose their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be active and remains the primary resolution to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, rules and fundamentals must be followed."

"In case they address to the nation of Iran with the tone of respect and honor, they will receive a reply in the equivalent language."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the battle of repair and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's defence capabilities "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We learned multiple understandings from this war; we have come to know our own weaknesses and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to destroy, stays intact. The installations and machinery, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is important is the resolve of the Iranian people and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but failed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have become stronger, more cohesive, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."