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Iran is prepared to resume nuclear discussions with Washington provided that it is approached with "dignity" and "respect", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and disclosed new appeals had come from mediators to resume talks with the US government. He asserted Iran had zero unreported enrichment locations, and Iran had not yet reached a point to allow the global atomic watchdog to access struck enrichment centers for security reasons.

Walking a Complex Course

The foreign minister is navigating a difficult route since Iran wishes not to be perceived to be acting from a situation of weakness, and he emphatically stated that Iran had emerged more resilient in military terms and psychologically from the Israeli-US attack on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to enrich uranium within its borders that it will perpetually retain" – the key factor of the stalemate in the earlier negotiations.

Earlier Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of negotiations between the US and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and hostile end on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a 12-day war that ended with the American leader claiming the locations had been obliterated. Subsequently, EU nations employed their right to reimpose international penalties, but Iran maintains they have not had a significant effect.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had attained a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in earlier negotiations, when it was decided an local partnership with US participation could refine atomic fuel. The two nations would have been able to claim victory since home-based processing would have continued and the US could be confident that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the discussions that US nuclear scientists could function within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the partnership suggestion. Officials claimed three times they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the arrangement to disintegrate due to "opponents in the US".

Present Status

Tehran representatives said the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems highly likely the offer could be resurrected in certain ways if talks reopen.

The US president last week claimed he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to restart talks, but in private Iran's diplomats say they are not yet receiving clear proposals from the United States either explicitly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and the Saudi kingdom. The Iranian foreign ministry has been charged of inactivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states negotiations is not part of a show.

Political Stance

In his speech to the gathering, aimed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of worldwide standards, Araghchi declared the two-week conflict demonstrated the dispute could not be settled by armed force. He said the assaults started with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an complete request for a ceasefire.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were carried out with full US knowledge and collaboration, making trust hard to reestablish.

Negotiations Remains the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi stated: "It was not Iran that had fled dialogue; it was the United States and the western countries that had repeatedly tried to dictate their demands during the talks. Negotiations can still be viable and stays the primary solution to address conflicts, but its criteria, guidelines and fundamentals must be followed."

"In case they address to the Iranian people with the approach of dignity and respect, they will get a response in the equivalent approach."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is described by Iranian officials as the battle of restoration and reconstruction, the foreign minister said he was certain Iran's military capacities "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We gained numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our personal limitations and the vulnerabilities of the enemy."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our nuclear technology, which they planned to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is important is the determination of the Iranian people and then the social solidarity that they aimed at, but did not succeed to shatter. The nation of Iran have developed more resilient, more integrated, and more endorsing of the administration and the state in the wake of this invasion."