Middle East crisis live: Iran says progress made on many issues with US but warns deal not ‘imminent’

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei has been speaking at a news briefing about the contours of a potential deal with the US to end the war.

“It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” he said.

“But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent – no one can make such a claim.”

A potential deal reportedly includes a 60-day ceasefire extension, reopening the strait of Hormuz to international vessels and a plan for further negotiations over Iran’s much contested nuclear programme.

However, the deal has to be approved by Iran’s leadership, including the apparently hard to reach supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, which could take some time.