ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Separate Pakistani and Qatari delegations arrived in Iran’s capital Tehran on Friday, as efforts continue to bring the US-Iran conflict to an end.

The Pakistani delegation, led by Army Chief Asim Munir, arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday evening, received by Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.

Speaking to state media, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that Munir’s visit “is a continuation of the diplomatic process,” while stressing “it cannot be said that this necessarily means we have reached a turning point or a decisive situation.”

Attending a NATO summit in Sweden on Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there had been “some slight progress” in the negotiations with Iran, reiterating the US’ position that “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Baghaei, on the other hand, stated: “We cannot say that we have reached a point where an agreement is close; no, it is not like that.”

“The focus of these negotiations is on ending the war, and at this stage, there will be no discussion on issues related to nuclear matters,” the spokesperson asserted.

The US-Israel war with Iran began in late February until the two sides reached a ceasefire in April, ending hostilities for the most part.

Following the ceasefire, the two sides have held one round of face-to-face talks mediated by Pakistan that resulted in no deal. Since then they have traded proposals for a comprehensive peace agreement, with Iran calling Washington’s demands excessive and Washington dubbing Tehran’s unacceptable.

Earlier in the day, Reuters, citing informed sources, reported that a Qatari negotiation team had arrived in Tehran in coordination with the US, in hopes of resolving outstanding issues between the two warring sides.

Baghaei confirmed the reports, but stressed that Pakistan remains the main mediator.

“A Qatari delegation arrived in Iran today and held talks with the Foreign Minister,” said Baghaei, adding that “various countries are trying to prevent the escalation of tensions, but Pakistan remains the official mediator of the negotiations.”

“The differences of opinion between Iran and the US are so deep and numerous that it cannot be said that we will definitely reach a result with a few rounds of back-and-forth or negotiations within a few weeks,” Baghaei added.