WASHINGTON, Nov 8: The White House said on Friday that its top diplomat had arrived in Geneva to see if the United States and Iran could narrow their differences as the US media reported a possible deal between the two countries over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

US Secretary of State John Kerry had gone to Geneva to see if the two countries “could narrow the differences” over Iran’s nuclear programme, White House Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at a news briefing.

The US official also rejected Israel’s criticism of an expected deal between Iran and the United States as “premature”, saying that “there’s no deal” yet.

Earlier on Friday, Secretary Kerry joined other top western diplomats in Geneva for nuclear talks with Iran, which includes a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

“There is not an agreement at this point in time,” Mr Kerry told reporters before his meeting with Mr Zarif. “There are still some very important issues on the table that are unresolved.”

His caution, however, did not impress the Israelis who insisted that the Obama administration had already finalised a nuclear deal with the Iranians.

Israel started criticising the expected deal even before Mr Kerry arrived in Geneva for the talks.

“Iran got the deal of the century and the international community got a bad deal,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters at the Tel Aviv airport.

Although Netanyahu had come to the airport to greet Secretary Kerry, who passed through the Israeli city before concluding his weeklong shuttle diplomacy to the Middle East, he minced no words in condemning the US move.

“I understand that the Iranians are walking around very satisfied in Geneva as well they should be,” Netanyahu said.

The US media reported that Israeli officials had also cancelled a scheduled photo opportunity, saying that this was “not the right occasion for a good photograph”. “The emerging deal would give Iran limited relief from some economic sanctions in exchange for a temporary freeze of some of its nuclear activities,” The Washington Post reported on Friday.

The National Public Radio, the largest American radio network, reported that under the deal, Iran would be required to stay under the 20 per cent limit even while enriching uranium for energy.

The Post reported that European Union’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton invited Secretary Kerry to Geneva after the Europeans felt that Iran was ready for a deal.

Top diplomats from Germany, France and Britain have also joined the talks.

Later, EU officials told reporters that if the remaining differences were not resolved by Saturday, a final agreement could come in a subsequent Geneva session, perhaps as soon as next week.

US officials told the Post in Washington that a proposed nuclear freeze could be a “first step in a comprehensive pact restricting Tehran’s ability to seek atomic weapons”.

The officials also said they were aiming for a multi-step negotiating process that could culminate in an agreement early next year on permanent limits to Iran’s ability to produce the components of a nuclear bomb.