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Tehran is ready to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States provided that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has declared.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy was effective, and revealed new appeals had been made by go-betweens to resume discussions with the US government. He said Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to access bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is treading a complex path since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful militarily and mentally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the main reason of the stalemate in the prior discussions.

Earlier Negotiations Suddenly Ended

The prior phases of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader declaring the facilities had been eliminated. Following this, Western states employed their right to reimpose international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Proposed

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could operate inside Iran, but that was a natural consequence of the consortium proposal. Diplomats stated repeatedly they had secured an understanding with Trump's special envoy the US official only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Iran's diplomats stated the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be revived in various formats if discussions resume.

The US president in recent days stated he had been getting signals that Iran sought to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from Washington either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iran's state department has been charged of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a show.

Diplomatic Stance

In his remarks to the forum, intended to depict the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi said the fortnight-long engagement showed the dispute could not be ended by combat operations. He stated the attacks commenced with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with full US knowledge and coordination, making faith challenging to restore.

Diplomacy Remains the Final Answer

Araghchi said: "It was not Iran that had deserted diplomacy; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently sought to dictate their demands during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be viable and continues the primary resolution to address conflicts, but its standards, regulations and principles must be followed."

"If they address to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and honor, they will get a reply in the equivalent tone."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the conflict of restoration and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was certain Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We learned multiple understandings from this war; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He stated: "We effectively endured this engagement. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, stays intact. The installations and equipment, if eliminated, will be rebuilt; what is essential is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to break. The nation of Iran have grown stronger, more united, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the wake of this assault."