Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that peace negotiations with the United States are not “close”, adding that it is difficult to say whether a deal could be reached within “weeks or months”, Al Jazeera reported.

State media quoted him as saying that the gaps between Tehran and Washington remain “deep and significant”.

“We cannot necessarily say that we have reached a point where an agreement is close,” he said. “The focus of the negotiations is on ending the war. Details related to the nuclear issue are not being discussed at this stage.”