Iran has submitted a written response to the latest version of the nuclear deal that is being brokered by the European Union between Tehran and Washington.
The AP reports, citing Iranian media, that no details of the response have been provided, adding that the reports suggested it was not a positive one as some issues remained unresolved.
"The differences are on three issues, in which the United States has expressed its verbal flexibility in two cases, but it should be included in the text," the AP quoted IRNA as saying. "The third issue is related to guaranteeing the continuation of (the deal), which depends on the realism of the United States."
A week ago, the European Union's top diplomat Josep Borrell Fontelles tweeted that the EU had presented the two sides with the final version of the proposed deal, aiming to settle the two sides' differences.
"What can be negotiated has been negotiated, and it's now in a final text. However, behind every technical issue and every paragraph lies a political decision that needs to be taken in the capitals. If these answers are positive, then we can sign this deal," Borrell tweeted.
At the time, the New York Times cited an unnamed State Department spokesman as saying the U.S. side was "ready to quickly conclude a deal" and that the latest EU proposal was "the only possible basis" for such a deal.
Following the news of Iran's written response today, Tehran's negotiating team adviser Mohammad Marandi said, as quoted by CNN, that the deal was within reach but noted it was not yet done.
Marandi said in a tweet that the Iranian side had expressed concerns about the EU's proposal, adding that "Those concerns are founded upon past US/EU violations. I can't say that there will be a deal, but we're closer than we've been before."
By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com
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Irina is a writer for Oilprice.com with over a decade of experience writing on the oil and gas industry. More