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Tehran is willing to reinitiate nuclear discussions with the United States on condition that it is handled with "respect" and "honor", Iran's foreign minister has announced.

The Iranian diplomat said only diplomacy produced results, and shared recent overtures had been made by intermediaries to restart negotiations with the American leadership. He asserted Iran did not have secret atomic facilities, and Iran could not yet allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to access struck enrichment centers for safety concerns.

Navigating a Challenging Route

The foreign minister is walking a challenging route since Iran aims to avoid appear to be operating from a stance of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged stronger in military terms and mentally from the Israeli-US attack on its atomic facilities in June.

He was speaking 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 never give up" – the main reason of the stalemate in the prior discussions.

Earlier Talks Unexpectedly Ended

The previous five rounds of talks between the United States and Iran were brought to an abrupt and acrimonious conclusion on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iran's enrichment centers in a two-week conflict that ended with the American leader claiming the locations had been destroyed. Following this, European countries used their authority to reinstate UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a substantial consequence.

Magic Solution Suggested

Iranian officials stated they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the enrichment issue in prior discussions, when it was agreed an domestic cooperative with American involvement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to claim victory since domestic enrichment would have persisted and the US could be assured that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been decided in the negotiations that Washington's technical specialists could operate within Iranian territory, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Representatives stated repeatedly they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the arrangement to fall apart due to "detractors in America".

Current Status

Iran's diplomats declared the consortium offer was now no longer available, but it seems quite possible the suggestion could be reintroduced in some form if talks restart.

Trump in recent days stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but privately Iran's diplomats state they are not yet receiving coherent offers from the United States either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, Egypt, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of the US president's straightforward manner, but Tehran says dialogue is not part of a performance.

Negotiating Standpoint

In his address to the conference, aimed to portray the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of international law, Araghchi said the two-week conflict demonstrated the dispute could not be settled by combat operations. He asserted the strikes began with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and ended with an absolute demand for a truce.

Iran is certain the initial Israeli attacks were carried out with total Washington understanding and coordination, making faith hard to rebuild.

Diplomacy Continues the Final Resolution

The foreign minister declared: "Tehran was not the one that had deserted negotiations; it was the United States and the Western nations that had always tried to dictate their demands during the discussions. Dialogue can still be alive and remains the final answer to address conflicts, but its standards, regulations and principles must be adhered to."

"In case they talk to the nation of Iran with the language of dignity and honor, they will obtain a reply in the equivalent approach."

Restoration and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Iranian officials as the struggle 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. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We gained multiple understandings from this conflict; we have discovered our personal limitations and the weaknesses of the enemy."

He added: "We managed to survive this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they planned to obliterate, remains in place. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they targeted, but did not succeed to shatter. The nation of Iran have grown stronger, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the country in the face of this invasion."