Tehran, May 23 -- Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has given a measured and cautiously optimistic assessment of the ongoing indirect talks with the United States, speaking on behalf of Tehran's negotiating team.

The spokesman, recently appointed by a decree from Iran Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to represent the negotiating team, said this week's discussions had helped narrow gaps, though important matters still required further attention from mediators, according to ISNA.

"The process of negotiations this week has been towards reducing differences, but there are still issues that need to be discussed through mediators, so we must wait and see where the situation will end in the next three or four days," h...