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Tehran is ready to resume nuclear negotiations with Washington as long as it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's top diplomat has announced.

The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy worked, and shared recent overtures had come from mediators to reopen talks with the American leadership. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the UN nuclear inspectorate to access attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Walking a Complex Path

Araghchi is treading a complex path since Iran aims to avoid appear to be acting from a situation of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful militarily and psychologically from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a defense forum in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel within its borders that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Prior Discussions Abruptly Concluded

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader declaring the facilities had been eliminated. Subsequently, EU nations exercised their right to reinstate international penalties, but Iran asserts they have not had a substantial consequence.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Tehran representatives stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in previous talks, when it was decided an Iran-based consortium with US participation could enrich uranium. Each party would have been able to claim victory since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could work within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the consortium proposal. Officials asserted repeatedly they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the arrangement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Position

Iranian officials stated the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the offer could be revived in certain ways if talks resume.

The American leader last week stated he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from America either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been charged of non-responsiveness in the face of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Stance

In his address to the gathering, intended to portray the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the notion of international law, the foreign minister said the 12-day war demonstrated the conflict could not be settled by armed force. He stated the strikes started with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an absolute demand for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were executed with complete American awareness and cooperation, making confidence challenging to rebuild.

Negotiations Stays the Ultimate Resolution

The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to impose their desires during the talks. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the ultimate answer to settle conflicts, but its requirements, guidelines and principles must be adhered to."

"Provided that they speak to the nation of Iran with the language of respect and honor, they will obtain a response in the identical language."

Recovery and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi stated 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 acquired numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He stated: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to destroy, remains in place. The installations and gear, if damaged, will be restored; what is crucial is the determination of the nation of Iran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but were unable to shatter. The citizens of Tehran have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the aftermath of this invasion."