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Tehran is willing to resume nuclear discussions with the United States as long as it is treated with "respect" and "respect", Iran's top diplomat has announced.

The Iranian diplomat declared only diplomacy worked, and disclosed recent overtures had come from go-betweens to restart discussions with the US government. He asserted Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran had not yet reached a point to authorize the global atomic watchdog to access attacked atomic facilities for protective measures.

Navigating a Difficult Path

The foreign minister is walking a difficult path since Iran wishes not to be seen to be proceeding from a position of vulnerability, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more powerful defensively and emotionally from the joint assault on its atomic facilities in June.

He was talking at a strategic meeting in Tehran where he reaffirmed that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will perpetually retain" – the primary cause of the deadlock in the previous talks.

Earlier Discussions Abruptly Concluded

The previous five rounds of discussions between the United States and Iran were concluded unexpectedly and acrimonious end on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the US president 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.

Magic Solution Proposed

Tehran representatives claimed they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was settled an local partnership with American involvement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was entirely non-military.

It had not been decided in the discussions that American atomic experts could function on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Diplomats claimed repeatedly they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the arrangement to collapse due to "opponents in the US".

Existing Position

Tehran representatives said the partnership proposal was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the suggestion could be reintroduced in certain ways if negotiations reopen.

Trump in recent days said he had been obtaining communications that Iran wanted to resume discussions, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet obtaining coherent offers from Washington either straightforwardly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Iran's state department has been charged of inactivity in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Iran asserts diplomacy is not part of a spectacle.

Political Stance

In his speech to the forum, intended to paint the US as a controlling nation that abuses the concept of international law, the foreign minister stated the two-week conflict revealed the conflict could not be resolved by combat operations. He said the assaults commenced with a American requirement for an total Iran submission and concluded with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is assured the initial Israeli attacks were executed with total Washington understanding and collaboration, making trust hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Primary Resolution

The foreign minister declared: "It was not Iran that had abandoned negotiations; it was the United States and the Western nations that had consistently tried to enforce their demands during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the final solution to address conflicts, but its standards, guidelines and principles must be followed."

"Provided that they talk to the Iranian people with the approach of respect and honor, they will receive a answer in the same language."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle of recovery and reconstruction, Araghchi stated he was confident 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 many lessons from this engagement; we have come to know our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the opponent."

He continued: "We successfully passed this war. Our nuclear technology, which they intended to destroy, stays intact. The facilities and equipment, if destroyed, will be restored; what is important is the determination of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The citizens of Tehran have developed more resilient, more united, and more backing of the leadership and the nation in the wake of this attack."