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Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with Washington provided that it is approached with "respect" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has declared.

The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy worked, and revealed new appeals had come from intermediaries to reopen talks with the American leadership. He claimed Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to visit struck enrichment centers for protective measures.

Navigating a Complex Route

Araghchi is treading a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be operating from a position of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged stronger militarily and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its enrichment centers in June.

He was addressing at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the stalemate in the prior discussions.

Previous Talks Abruptly Concluded

The prior phases of talks between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and acrimonious termination on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a two-week conflict that culminated with the American leader claiming the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their privilege to reinstate global restrictions, but Iran maintains they have not had a major impact.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Tehran representatives said they felt they had attained a "perfect agreement" to the enrichment issue in earlier negotiations, when it was agreed an local partnership with American involvement could enrich uranium. The two nations would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a logical implication of the partnership suggestion. Officials stated three times they had secured an understanding with Washington's diplomat Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Existing Position

Iranian officials said the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems highly likely the proposal could be reintroduced in some form if negotiations reopen.

The US president last week stated he had been getting signals that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining clear proposals from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of inactivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Diplomatic Position

In his address to the gathering, designed to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the notion of worldwide standards, the foreign minister said the fortnight-long engagement showed the clash could not be settled by military means. He asserted the strikes began with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and ended with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with complete American awareness and coordination, making trust difficult to restore.

Diplomacy Remains the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi said: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to impose their demands during the talks. Diplomacy can still be active and remains the final resolution to resolve disputes, but its criteria, rules and tenets must be adhered to."

"Provided that they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the language of dignity and honor, they will receive a response in the equivalent approach."

Recovery and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iran's diplomats as the battle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi claimed he was confident Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been rebuilt. We gained numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our personal limitations and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to destroy, continues to exist. The sites and machinery, if eliminated, will be restored; what is essential is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the social solidarity that they sought to undermine, but failed to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have grown more resilient, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the leadership and the state in the face of this invasion."