BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 23. Positions between the United States and Iran have drawn closer, but have not yet reached the level of an agreement to yield a final solution, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told local media, Trend reports.
According to the spokesperson, the Iranian side is strictly focusing on ending the war at this stage. Opinions have been exchanged several times regarding the viewpoints of both Iran and the US, and negotiations have addressed the specific issues where disagreements persist.
Baghaei stated that given Pakistan's role as a mediator in the discussions between Iran and the US, the purpose of the visit of Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Asim Munir, to Tehran was to facilitate the exchange of messages between the two nations.
The Foreign Ministry official further noted that the Strait of Hormuz has no relevance to the United States, emphasizing that the matter lies strictly between Iran and the coastal states of the region.
Baghaei added that the lifting of anti-Iranian sanctions remains one of the core issues at the center of any discussion with the US, describing this as an unalterable stance for Iran. Concurrently, the release of frozen Iranian assets also remains a primary focus.
"Currently, the Iranian side is not conducting negotiations regarding the nuclear issue. Unambiguously, because of this, the details of the sanctions are not being discussed either. In the event of a final agreement, these matters can be negotiated in subsequent stages," he noted.
Baghaei added that efforts are currently underway to finalize an agreement. Over the past week, the viewpoints of both sides have steadily moved closer toward alignment. He noted that the upcoming 3 to 4 days will reveal how the process unfolds, adding that timeframes of 30 and 60 days are specified within the text of the draft agreement.
Meanwhile, as no tangible progress was made in the nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the situation escalated on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched military airstrikes against Iran. In retaliation, Iran initiated missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli and U.S. installations in the region. Following these developments, a two-week ceasefire agreement was brokered on April 7 through Pakistan's mediation. However, during subsequent talks between the U.S. and Iran in Islamabad on April 11, no consensus was reached.
