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

Abbas Araghchi declared solely negotiations was effective, and disclosed fresh requests had originated from intermediaries to resume negotiations with the US government. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran was not yet able to allow the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect struck enrichment centers for security reasons.

Navigating a Difficult Route

The foreign minister is treading a complex course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be proceeding from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more powerful in military terms and psychologically from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the stalemate in the previous talks.

Previous Talks Suddenly Concluded

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that ended with the US president claiming the facilities had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations used their privilege to restore global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a major impact.

Magic Solution Suggested

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had achieved a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that US nuclear scientists could work inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed repeatedly they had achieved a deal with the US representative the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Situation

Iran's diplomats stated the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be reintroduced in some form if negotiations restart.

The US president last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Iranian officials state they are not yet receiving consistent overtures from Washington either directly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran states diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his remarks to the conference, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that misuses the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the dispute could not be resolved by military means. He said the attacks commenced with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with total Washington understanding and cooperation, making trust difficult to reestablish.

Diplomacy Stays the Primary Answer

The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had repeatedly tried to impose their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be alive and stays the primary answer to settle disagreements, but its criteria, regulations and fundamentals must be followed."

"In case they speak to the nation of Iran with the approach of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the identical language."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iran's diplomats as the conflict of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's security strengths "are much stronger than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been restored. We gained numerous insights from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He stated: "We effectively endured this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, continues to exist. The installations and machinery, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but did not succeed to break. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the state in the wake of this invasion."