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Tehran is prepared to restart atomic negotiations with the United States as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy was effective, and shared recent overtures had originated from go-betweens to reopen discussions with the Trump administration. He claimed Iran did not have unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet permit the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Walking a Difficult Path

Araghchi is treading a challenging route since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient defensively and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack 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 process nuclear material on home soil that it will never give up" – the main reason of the impasse in the previous talks.

Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Ended

The previous five rounds of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader claiming the sites had been destroyed. Subsequently, EU nations employed their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the talks that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the consortium proposal. Officials asserted three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the deal to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Present Status

Iranian officials said the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if negotiations reopen.

Trump recently claimed he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to restart talks, but in private Tehran representatives say they are not yet receiving coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of passivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran asserts diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Diplomatic Position

In his speech to the forum, intended to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the idea of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement showed the clash could not be ended by armed force. He stated the assaults began with a US demand for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is assured the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with full US knowledge and collaboration, making trust hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

The foreign minister stated: "It was not Iran that had abandoned diplomacy; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always attempted to enforce their will during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be active and remains the final resolution to resolve disagreements, but its criteria, rules and tenets must be followed."

"In case they talk to the Iranian people with the approach of respect and honor, they will obtain a answer in the identical language."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He continued: "We effectively endured this war. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to eliminate, continues to exist. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the determination of the citizens of Tehran and then the national cohesion that they aimed at, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have grown stronger, more united, and more endorsing of the leadership and the country in the aftermath of this invasion."