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Tehran is prepared to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States provided that it is treated with "respect" and "honor", Iran's top diplomat has stated.

Abbas Araghchi stated solely negotiations worked, and revealed new appeals had come from intermediaries to restart talks with the American leadership. He asserted Iran possessed no undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran had not yet reached a point to permit the International Atomic Energy Agency to visit attacked atomic facilities for security reasons.

Navigating a Challenging Course

The foreign minister is walking a difficult route since Iran does not want appear to be proceeding from a stance of disadvantage, and he emphatically stated that Iran had come out more powerful defensively and emotionally from the joint assault on its nuclear sites in June.

He was talking at a defense forum 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 prior discussions.

Prior Negotiations Suddenly Concluded

The earlier sessions of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and hostile termination on 12 June when Israel, with Washington's assistance, attacked Iranian nuclear sites in a fortnight-long engagement that concluded with the American leader claiming the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, EU nations used their authority to restore UN-wide sanctions, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Magic Solution Proposed

Iran's diplomats claimed they felt they had reached a "ideal resolution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was settled an domestic cooperative with Washington's engagement could refine atomic fuel. Both sides would have been able to declare success since local refinement would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's nuclear programme was exclusively peaceful.

It had not been settled in the negotiations that American atomic experts could work on Iranian soil, but that was a reasonable assumption of the partnership suggestion. Representatives stated repeatedly they had reached agreement with Washington's diplomat the American negotiator only for the agreement to disintegrate due to "spoilers in Washington".

Existing Position

Tehran representatives declared the consortium offer was now withdrawn, but it seems highly likely the offer could be reintroduced in some form if talks resume.

Trump last week said he had been getting signals that Iran wanted to reopen negotiations, but confidentially Tehran representatives state they are not yet getting consistent overtures from America either explicitly or from significant local go-betweens, such as the Qatari government, the Egyptian leadership, the Omani authorities and Saudi Arabia. The Iranian foreign ministry has been criticized of passivity in the face of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran states dialogue is not part of a performance.

Political Position

In his address to the forum, intended to paint the US as a dominant force that exploits the idea of global regulations, the foreign minister declared the 12-day war demonstrated the clash could not be ended by military means. He stated the attacks commenced with a US demand for an unconditional Iranian surrender and concluded with an unconditional call for a ceasefire.

Iran is convinced the first strikes by Israel were mounted with full US knowledge and cooperation, making confidence challenging to rebuild.

Dialogue Continues the Primary Resolution

The foreign minister said: "Tehran was not the one that had abandoned diplomacy; it was America and the western countries that had always sought to enforce their desires during the talks. Diplomacy can still be viable and stays the final resolution to address disagreements, but its criteria, regulations and tenets must be adhered to."

"If they address to the nation of Iran with the approach of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the same tone."

Repair and Rebuilding

In what is characterized by Tehran representatives as the struggle of restoration and recovery, Araghchi said he was confident Iran's defence capabilities "have significantly improved than preceding 13 or 14 June of this year. Every aspect of our defense have been rebuilt. We learned many lessons from this engagement; we have identified our own weaknesses and the vulnerabilities of the adversary."

He continued: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our enrichment knowledge, which they intended to eliminate, stays intact. The sites and gear, if eliminated, will be reconstructed; what is crucial is the will of the citizens of Tehran and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to destroy. The citizens of Tehran have developed stronger, more united, and more backing of the administration and the country in the face of this assault."