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Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic negotiations with the United States provided that it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations worked, and disclosed recent overtures had come from go-betweens to resume talks with the American leadership. He claimed Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet authorize the global atomic watchdog to visit attacked atomic facilities for safety concerns.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is treading a challenging course since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be proceeding from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful in military terms and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Previous Discussions Suddenly Ended

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, struck Tehran's atomic facilities in a 12-day war that concluded with the US president claiming the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their authority to reinstate international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Suggested

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an domestic cooperative with American involvement could process nuclear material. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been agreed in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could work on Iranian soil, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Representatives claimed three times they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Iran's diplomats said the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems very probable the proposal could be resurrected in various formats if negotiations reopen.

Trump in recent days stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran sought to restart talks, but in private Iran's diplomats claim they are not yet obtaining consistent overtures from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, Oman and the Saudi kingdom. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran states dialogue is not part of a performance.

Political Standpoint

In his remarks to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a dominant force that misuses the concept of international law, Araghchi said the 12-day war showed the conflict could not be ended by combat operations. He asserted the strikes commenced with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence difficult to rebuild.

Dialogue Stays the Primary Resolution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the western countries that had repeatedly attempted to impose their will during the negotiations. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the ultimate solution to resolve disagreements, but its requirements, guidelines and tenets must be respected."

"In case they talk to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will receive a reply in the same approach."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the battle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister claimed he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We acquired many lessons from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of the opponent."

He stated: "We managed to survive this engagement. Our atomic expertise, which they intended to destroy, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but were unable to destroy. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the state in the wake of this assault."