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

Abbas Araghchi stated only diplomacy was effective, and revealed new appeals had been made by mediators to resume negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to permit the global atomic watchdog to access attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Path

Araghchi is treading a difficult course since Iran does not want be seen to be acting from a stance of disadvantage, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen more resilient militarily and mentally from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to refine atomic fuel domestically that it will never give up" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The earlier sessions of discussions between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Tehran's atomic facilities in a two-week conflict that culminated with the US president declaring the facilities had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries used their authority to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could enrich uranium. Both sides would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the talks that American atomic experts could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the US official only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".

Current Position

Tehran representatives stated the cooperative arrangement was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be revived in some form if discussions reopen.

Trump last week said he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to resume discussions, but in private Tehran representatives claim they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran states negotiations is not part of a performance.

Political Position

In his remarks to the gathering, designed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that misuses the notion of international law, Araghchi stated the 12-day war revealed the conflict could not be settled by combat operations. He stated the assaults began with a Washington's ultimatum for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an complete request for a truce.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were mounted with complete American awareness and cooperation, making confidence hard to reestablish.

Diplomacy Remains the Final Answer

The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled diplomacy; it was the United States and the European states that had repeatedly sought to dictate their will during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and stays the ultimate solution to settle disagreements, but its standards, rules and tenets must be respected."

"If they address to the nation of Iran with the language of respect and honor, they will receive a response in the equivalent approach."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is described by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and rebuilding, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He stated: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, continues to exist. The installations and equipment, if damaged, will be restored; what is important is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they targeted, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have grown more resilient, more united, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the aftermath of this assault."