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.