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Iran is ready to reinitiate nuclear discussions with the United States as long as it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy was effective, and revealed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran could not yet authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is navigating a challenging course since Iran wishes not to appear to be proceeding from a position of vulnerability, and he emphatically stated that Iran had arisen more resilient militarily and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to refine atomic fuel within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Negotiations Abruptly Ended

The previous five rounds of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a fortnight-long engagement that ended with Donald Trump asserting the sites had been eliminated. Subsequently, Western states employed their authority to restore international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iranian officials stated they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an local partnership with American involvement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to declare success since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the discussions that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats asserted repeatedly they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Present Position

Iran's diplomats declared the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the offer could be resurrected in some form if discussions reopen.

The US president in recent days stated he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but privately Iranian officials state they are not yet getting coherent offers 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 Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of non-responsiveness in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Negotiating Position

In his address to the gathering, aimed to paint the US as a controlling nation that exploits the notion of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He asserted the assaults began with a US demand for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is convinced the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with complete American awareness and cooperation, making faith difficult to rebuild.

Diplomacy Stays the Final Answer

Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was America and the European states that had always tried to enforce their will during the talks. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the final solution to resolve conflicts, but its criteria, regulations and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"Provided that they address to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a answer in the equivalent approach."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the struggle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We gained multiple understandings from this conflict; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they aimed to eliminate, remains in place. The installations and equipment, if destroyed, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the determination of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to destroy. The Iranian people have become more resilient, more integrated, and more supportive of the leadership and the state in the aftermath of this assault."