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Tehran is ready to restart nuclear discussions with the United States provided that it is approached with "respect" and "respect", Iran's foreign minister has stated.

Abbas Araghchi said solely negotiations produced results, and disclosed recent overtures had been made by mediators to reopen negotiations with the US government. He claimed Iran had zero undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to inspect bombed nuclear sites for protective measures.

Navigating a Difficult Path

Araghchi is walking a challenging route since Iran aims to avoid be seen to be operating from a stance of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful militarily and emotionally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to enrich uranium within its borders that it will always maintain" – the primary cause of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Prior Discussions Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of talks between the US and Iran were brought to an abrupt and hostile conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, targeted Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that culminated with the American leader claiming the sites had been eliminated. Following this, EU nations exercised their privilege to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.

Perfect Agreement Proposed

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the nuclear fuel concern in earlier negotiations, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have remained and the US could be certain that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been settled in the discussions that Washington's technical specialists could work within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Representatives asserted three times they had reached agreement with the US representative the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "detractors in America".

Current Position

Iran's diplomats declared the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the offer could be reintroduced in various formats if talks reopen.

The American leader recently said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but in private Iranian officials claim they are not yet getting coherent offers from the United States either explicitly or from important Middle Eastern intermediaries, such as Qatar, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been accused of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a performance.

Political Standpoint

In his speech to the conference, intended to paint the US as a dominant force that abuses the idea of worldwide standards, Araghchi stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the conflict could not be ended by armed force. He stated the strikes started with a US demand for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is convinced the initial Israeli attacks were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence challenging to restore.

Diplomacy Remains the Primary Resolution

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the European states that had repeatedly attempted to enforce their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be alive and stays the final answer to resolve disagreements, but its criteria, regulations and tenets must be adhered to."

"If they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a response in the same language."

Repair and Reconstruction

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of recovery and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than before 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been reestablished. We gained numerous insights from this war; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to destroy, stays intact. The installations and machinery, if destroyed, will be restored; what is crucial is the resolve of the nation of Iran and then the national cohesion that they sought to undermine, but were unable to destroy. The nation of Iran have grown more resilient, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the state in the wake of this attack."