Iran signals convergence of views with US, says gaps remain

Updated at 5.51pm

Iran said on Saturday it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal with the United States, signalling some convergence in positions while cautioning that major gaps still remain.

"Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses," foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on state television.

He pointed to what he described as "a trend towards rapprochement" with Washington, but added that "it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues".

His comments come after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was a chance Iran would accept a deal to end the Middle East war as soon as Saturday.

Baqaei said he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out "within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days" after the framework is finalised.

The remarks came following a visit to Iran by Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, who has been acting as a mediator between Tehran and Washington in efforts aimed at ending the war.

The conflict broke out on February 28 with Israeli-US strikes that killed senior Iranian leaders including supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks across the region.

Since a fragile ceasefire took effect on April 8, the two sides have held a single round of talks that failed to culminate in a deal and have since exchanged proposals aimed at ending the conflict.

Baqaei said the primary focus of the framework under discussion was "ending the war on all fronts including Lebanon" as well as ending what Iran describes as a US naval blockade imposed on Iranian ports since April 13.

He added that arrangements concerning the strategic Strait of Hormuz were part of the draft framework, without elaborating.

Traffic through Hormuz, a vital global shipping route, has come under Iranian control since the outbreak of the war.

Iran, which has only allowed a trickle of ships to pass through the strait, has insisted that vessels obtain permission from its armed forces before transiting the waterway.

"The Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the United States. A mechanism for the strait should be defined between Iran and Oman as coastal states," Baqaei said.

He said the framework did not include details on Iran's nuclear programme -- a key sticking point for Washington -- and that the issue would be "subject to separate discussions" at a later stage.

Baqaei added that Iran's longstanding demand for sanctions relief was included in the framework text, though the issue had likewise not yet been addressed in detail because nuclear matters were not currently under detailed discussion.

"It is also one of the points that we will need to examine in detail in the near future," he said.

Negotiations do not rule out the US's resuming attacks on Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was a chance Iran would accept a deal to end the Middle East war as soon as Saturday.

His comments came as Pakistan's powerful army chief arrived in Tehran to bolster mediation and US President Donald Trump abruptly skipped his son's wedding to stay in Washington due to "circumstances pertaining to government", fuelling speculation that talks had entered a sensitive stage.

Rubio said there had been progress in negotiations but did not rule out Trump resuming attacks on Iran.

"There might be some news a little later today. There may not be. I hope there will be," Rubio told reporters in New Delhi during his first visit to India.

"There's been some progress done, some progress made. Even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done," he said.

"There is a chance that, whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say."

Rubio reiterated US demands that Iran fully open the Strait of Hormuz, on which it has exerted control in response to the US-Israeli attack, and that Iran hand over highly enriched uranium.

Trump's "preference is always to solve problems such as these through a negotiated diplomatic solution. That's what we're working on right now," Rubio said.

"But this problem will be solved, as the president's made... clear, one way or the other."