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Iran is willing to resume atomic talks with Washington as long as it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said solely negotiations worked, and revealed fresh requests had been made by go-betweens to restart negotiations with the Trump administration. He said Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Tehran could not yet authorize the global atomic watchdog to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Navigating a Difficult Course

The foreign minister is walking a difficult path since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be operating from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and mentally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "an inalienable right to process nuclear material domestically that it will perpetually retain" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Terminated

The prior phases of negotiations between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and bitter end on 12 June when Israel, with US support, struck Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that culminated with Donald Trump asserting the facilities had been eliminated. Afterward, European countries employed their authority to reimpose UN-wide sanctions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Suggested

Tehran representatives said they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the nuclear fuel concern in prior discussions, when it was agreed an local partnership with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have remained and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the talks that Washington's technical specialists could function on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed three times they had secured an understanding with the US representative Steve Witkoff only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Current Status

Tehran representatives stated the partnership proposal was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the offer could be resurrected in various formats if discussions reopen.

The American leader last week stated he had been receiving messages that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet receiving clear proposals from Washington either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of passivity in the face of Trump's direct instinctive approach, but Iran says negotiations is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his remarks to the gathering, designed to depict the US as a controlling nation that exploits the notion of international law, Araghchi said the fortnight-long engagement revealed the dispute could not be ended by military means. He stated the assaults began with a American requirement for an unconditional Iranian surrender and culminated with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is assured the first strikes by Israel were carried out with complete American awareness and collaboration, making faith hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Primary Resolution

Araghchi stated: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted dialogue; it was America and the Western nations that had consistently tried to dictate their will during the discussions. Negotiations can still be alive and remains the primary solution to address disagreements, but its criteria, rules and fundamentals must be respected."

"Provided that they talk to the Iranian people with the language of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the same tone."

Restoration and Recovery

In what is portrayed by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and recovery, the foreign minister stated he was certain Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. Our entire military infrastructure have been reestablished. We learned multiple understandings from this engagement; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He added: "We managed to survive this war. Our nuclear technology, which they aimed to obliterate, remains in place. The sites and equipment, if damaged, will be restored; what is important is the resolve of the citizens of Tehran and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but did not succeed to break. The Iranian people have developed more powerful, more cohesive, and more endorsing of the government and the nation in the wake of this attack."