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Iran is ready to restart atomic talks with the United States provided that it is approached with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has stated.

The Iranian diplomat said exclusively dialogue was effective, and revealed recent overtures had been made by go-betweens to restart talks with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Difficult Route

Araghchi is treading a difficult path since Iran wishes not to appear to be operating from a stance of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had emerged more resilient in military terms and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to process nuclear material within its borders that it will never give up" – the key factor of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Concluded

The earlier sessions of talks between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when the Israeli government, with US support, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that concluded with the US president asserting the locations had been destroyed. Afterward, European countries used their right to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a major impact.

Ideal Resolution Offered

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's atomic project was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Diplomats claimed three times they had reached agreement with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to collapse due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Situation

Tehran representatives stated the cooperative arrangement was now withdrawn, but it seems quite possible the proposal could be reintroduced in various formats if discussions resume.

Trump last week stated he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to restart talks, but in private Iran's diplomats state they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been accused of inactivity in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Iran says negotiations is not part of a show.

Negotiating Stance

In his address to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the notion of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be settled by military means. He stated the assaults commenced with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and ended with an complete request for a halt to hostilities.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with full US knowledge and collaboration, making confidence hard to reestablish.

Diplomacy Remains the Ultimate Resolution

The foreign minister stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently tried to enforce their desires during the discussions. Dialogue can still be viable and remains the final solution to address disagreements, but its criteria, rules and tenets must be respected."

"If they address to the Iranian people with the tone of dignity and respect, they will obtain a reply in the identical approach."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the conflict of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We gained multiple understandings from this war; we have identified our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He added: "We successfully passed this war. Our enrichment knowledge, which they aimed to obliterate, continues to exist. The facilities and gear, if destroyed, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but failed to break. The nation of Iran have developed more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the government and the country in the wake of this invasion."