TEHRAN/ NEW DELHI — Senior US and Iranian officials said on Saturday they could be close to a breakthrough in talks to strike a draft deal, while remaining cautious about the chances of ending the war in the Middle East.

 

US President Donald Trump told CBS in a phone interview the two sides were "getting a lot closer" to a deal, but also warned that if they do not reach an agreement "we're going to have a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they're about to be hit".

 

Iran said gaps remain between the parties, and the dispute over its nuclear programme would not be part of the initial talks, but that it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal.

 

In a sign of the uncertainty surrounding the outcome of the talks, Trump also told another US outlet, Axios, on Saturday the chances of a deal were a "solid 50/50".

 

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noted what he called "a trend towards rapprochement", but said "it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues".

 

"Our intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement composed of 14 clauses," he said on state television.

 

Baqaei added that he hoped the details of a final agreement could be worked out "within a reasonable timeframe between 30 to 60 days" after the framework is finalised.

 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said an announcement was possible later Sunday on a deal with Iran that could formally end the Middle East war, insisting goals had been met.

 

"I do think perhaps there is the possibility that in the next few hours the world will get some good news," Rubio told reporters in New Delhi.

 

Rubio, who is on his first visit to India, said the emerging deal would address Trump's concerns on the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has largely blocked in response to the US-Israeli attack.

 

The agreement would also start a "process that can ultimately leave us where the president wants us to be, and that is a world that no longer has to fear or worry about an Iranian nuclear weapon", he added.

 

His remarks came after Trump said a proposal that included opening the Strait of Hormuz had been "largely negotiated".

 

"An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization between the United States of America, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the various other Countries," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.

 

The emerging agreement has quickly met criticism from usual supporters of Trump including Senator Ted Cruz and Mike Pompeo, Trump's secretary of state in his first term.

 

Both are staunch supporters of Israel and voiced opposition to Iran soon receiving benefits such as the unimpeded ability to sell its oil.

 

Cruz said the outcome could be a "disastrous mistake".

 

Asked about the criticism, Rubio said "no one has been stronger" among US presidents against Iran by launching the war, codenamed Epic Fury.

 

"When this conflict began with Iran, the goals were outlined, they were very simple, they were very clear -- we were going to destroy their navy, which was done," he said.

 

Rubio said the United States also aimed to "significantly reduce" Iran's ability to fire ballistic missiles and to "do damage to the defence-industrial base" of the country.

 

"Those were the objectives of Epic Fury. Those objectives were achieved," Rubio said.