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Iran is prepared to reinitiate atomic talks with Washington as long as it is handled with "dignity" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has announced.

Abbas Araghchi declared exclusively dialogue produced results, and revealed fresh requests had originated from mediators to restart negotiations with the Trump administration. He asserted Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Tehran was not yet able to authorize the global atomic watchdog to inspect struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.

Walking a Challenging Course

Araghchi is walking a difficult course since Iran aims to avoid appear to be acting from a situation of weakness, and he insisted repeatedly that Iran had come out more resilient defensively and psychologically from the joint assault on its enrichment centers in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he restated that Iran had "an absolute privilege to refine atomic fuel on home soil that it will never give up" – the main reason of the deadlock in the earlier negotiations.

Previous Discussions Unexpectedly Terminated

The prior phases of discussions between the United States and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter conclusion on 12 June when the Israeli government, with Washington's assistance, targeted Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that ended with the US president claiming the locations had been eliminated. Afterward, Western states employed their privilege to reimpose global restrictions, but Iran asserts they have not had a significant effect.

Perfect Agreement Suggested

Iran's diplomats stated they felt they had attained a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was agreed an Iran-based consortium with US participation could refine atomic fuel. Each party would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have continued and the US could be assured that Iran's enrichment initiative was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been agreed in the talks that American atomic experts could operate inside Iran, but that was a reasonable assumption of the cooperative offer. Representatives stated three times they had achieved a deal with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "opponents in the US".

Current Situation

Iran's diplomats said the consortium offer was now off the table, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be revived in some form if negotiations restart.

The US president last week said he had been getting signals that Iran sought to restart talks, but privately Tehran representatives say they are not yet getting coherent offers from Washington either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of passivity in the wake of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran says diplomacy is not part of a performance.

Political Position

In his remarks to the conference, intended to depict the US as a controlling nation that exploits the concept of international law, Araghchi declared the 12-day war revealed the conflict could not be settled by armed force. He asserted the attacks started with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is certain the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and coordination, making faith challenging to restore.

Dialogue Stays the Ultimate Answer

Araghchi declared: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned dialogue; it was America and the European states that had always tried to enforce their demands during the negotiations. Diplomacy can still be viable and remains the primary answer to resolve conflicts, but its requirements, rules and fundamentals must be adhered to."

"If they speak to the Iranian people with the tone of respect and honor, they will receive a answer in the same tone."

Recovery and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and rebuilding, Araghchi claimed he was certain Iran's security strengths "are considerably enhanced than before 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been restored. We learned multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He stated: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to obliterate, continues to exist. The sites and equipment, if eliminated, will be restored; what is crucial is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but failed to shatter. The Iranian people have become more powerful, more united, and more supportive of the government and the state in the face of this invasion."