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Tehran is willing to resume atomic talks with Washington provided that it is handled with "respect" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy produced results, and revealed new appeals had come from intermediaries to reopen talks with the American leadership. He claimed Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Tehran had not yet reached a point to allow the global atomic watchdog to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Navigating a Challenging Path

The foreign minister is navigating a complex path since Iran does not want be seen to be proceeding from a stance of vulnerability, and he consistently maintained that Iran had arisen stronger defensively and emotionally from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.

He was addressing at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to enrich uranium on home soil that it will never give up" – the key factor of the impasse in the previous talks.

Previous Talks Abruptly Ended

The earlier sessions of negotiations between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile end on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that concluded with the US president asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Following this, European countries exercised their authority to reinstate international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had achieved a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in prior discussions, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been agreed in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the cooperative offer. Representatives stated on multiple occasions they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Current Position

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be resurrected in some form if talks resume.

Trump recently stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from America either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states diplomacy is not part of a show.

Political Standpoint

In his address to the gathering, intended to depict the US as a hegemonic power that abuses the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the fortnight-long engagement showed the dispute could not be settled by combat operations. He said the attacks started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an unconditional call for a halt to hostilities.

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

Diplomacy Remains the Ultimate Solution

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had fled dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently tried to enforce their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be viable and remains the final solution to settle disputes, but its criteria, guidelines and tenets must be adhered to."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the approach of respect and honor, they will receive a answer in the same approach."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister said he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been rebuilt. We acquired many lessons from this engagement; we have discovered our own weaknesses and the weaknesses of the opponent."

He continued: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to destroy, continues to exist. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be rebuilt; what is important is the will of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have developed stronger, more cohesive, and more supportive of the government and the country in the face of this invasion."