Iran has said that a final agreement to end the conflict with the United States has not yet been reached, contradicting statements by US President Donald Trump that an agreement is close to being finalized.
Trump said he had decided to call off new military strikes against Iran after negotiators reached a "great deal," adding that final documents were expected to be finalized within days and that a signing ceremony could also take place in Europe.
However, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei described reports of an agreement as speculative, stressing that nothing has been finalized, according to the BBC.
According to him, most of the memorandum has been drafted, but Washington has presented new and excessive demands, while Tehran will not give up the red lines set.
Trump stated that the agreement would guarantee that Iran would never possess nuclear weapons, describing this as the main objective of the confrontation between the two countries.
He added that the strategic Strait of Hormuz would be reopened immediately after the agreement was signed. This sea route is vital for the global trade in oil and liquefied natural gas.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed that he had held talks with Trump, but stressed that Israel is not a party to the memorandum of understanding being discussed between the US and Iran.
Despite the US president's optimistic tones, talks between the two countries have gone through phases of optimism and deadlock several times in recent months, without producing a final agreement so far.
A few hours before talking about the approach of an agreement, Trump had warned of new attacks on Iran and threatened to take control of Kharg Island, the main Iranian oil export terminal, through which about 90 percent of the country's oil exports pass.
