Iranian officials have indicated that negotiations with the United States on ending the war in the Middle East are progressing, while denying claims by US President Donald Trump that an agreement has been struck.
A text on a deal has largely been finalized, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said on television on Thursday evening in comments carried by state news agency Irna.
However, Baqaei reiterated that Tehran was struggling to trust Washington, accusing the US of constantly changing its position in the negotiations.
State news agency Tasnim, which is close to Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported overnight that the agreement, comprising 14 points, had not yet been definitively confirmed.
It comes after Trump said late on Thursday that "we just made a great settlement of the war with Iran," hours after announcing he was cancelling another round of planned strikes on the country after both sides had traded attacks several times earlier this week.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that documents were being prepared and could soon be ready for signing. He suggested Europe could host the signing ceremony without naming a specific country or location.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that an agreement with Iran was imminent, but a deal has yet to materialize, more than three months since the US and Israel began attacking Iran on February 28.
Major points of contention include Iran's nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively shut in response to the US-Israeli attacks, causing major disruptions to the global energy trade.
The document currently on the table is reportedly intended to serve as a framework agreement designed to lay the groundwork for further talks between the US and Iran.
