Iran nuke talks: Rouhani commits gaffe with premature tweet on deal

Tweet was later deleted and reposted with the word 'if' at the beginning, to avoid speculation over much-awaited deal's fate

Even as the Iran nuclear talks have dragged on beyond yet another deadline into Tuesday, Tehran's presidential office slipped up with a 'premature' tweet welcoming a nuclear deal, which is yet to take shape.

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President Hassan Rouhani posted on Twitter: "#IranDeal is the victory of diplomacy & mutual respect over the outdated paradigm of exclusion & coercion. And this is a good beginning."

This tweet was later deleted and reposted with the word 'if' at the beginning, in a bid to avoid any speculation over the fate of the much-awaited deal, reported The Guardian.

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Negotiators had initially planned to finalise the deal by Monday midnight but the talks extended well into Tuesday, violating the fourth deadline in two weeks.

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Diplomats said that some key differences over a new UN Security Council resolution incorporating the expected agreement, which was thought to have been resolved earlier, were still obstacles in the way of a final agreement.

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Under the settlement, Iran would be subject to restrictions and surveillance over its nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.