Iran said on Saturday that Pakistan has played an important role as the main mediator in its talks with the United States, as Tehran and Washington continue exchanging messages through third parties. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said the delegation’s trip to Tehran was meant to keep that channel open while Iran and the U.S. search for a framework that could narrow their differences.

Baqaei said the focus now is on ending what he called the imposed war, based on Iran’s 14-point proposal, and said some points discussed in recent days are still under consideration. He said Iran may be “very far and at the same time very close” to an agreement with the United States, adding that the American side has contradicted itself and changed its views more than once.

“On the one hand, in the talks between the two sides, the trend is towards closer views,” Baqaei said, while cautioning that this did not mean the two sides were ready to settle all major issues immediately. He said Iran is trying first to reach an understanding on a memorandum of understanding consisting of 14 paragraphs, with the most important matters needed to end the war included in that document.

Baqaei said the details should then be worked out over 30 to 60 days before a final agreement is reached. He said Iran is now at the stage of finalizing that memorandum, and that the issues being discussed are centered on ending the war, including the end of what he called U.S. naval aggression and the release of blocked Iranian assets.

The comments suggest Tehran is trying to move the talks into a more structured phase even as it warns that the process remains fragile. Baqaei said the trend is toward closer views between the two sides, but he also said there is no guarantee Washington will stick to one position.

He said the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with the United States and argued that any mechanism for the waterway should be defined between Iran and Oman as coastal countries, with the two sides still in talks with relevant organizations. He also said the nuclear issue is not being discussed in detail at this stage, and described Iran’s nuclear issue as a pretext for two aggressive wars against the Iranian nation.

Baqaei said Iran was subjected to illegal attacks during the nuclear negotiations and that Tehran decided to give priority to ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon. The remarks point to a broader agenda than the nuclear file alone, even as the immediate talks remain centered on the memorandum of understanding and the exchange of messages between the two sides.