As talks over Iran’s contested nuclear program wrap up, President Hassan Rouhani has told his nation that it “has achieved a significant victory” and “negotiations will lead to a deal, sooner or later.”

In a nationwide broadcast Monday night, Rouhani also said many gaps in the talks “have been eliminated.”

He added: “One phase is about the behind-the-curtain issues, where ideas are made closer and talks happen. In this phase there has been good progress. The other phase is when those agreements are put on paper and turn into a final, ultimate deal in writing. We still have some distance from this second phase.”

Negotiators agreed Monday to decide by March 1 what needs to be done and by when. A final agreement is meant to follow four months later.

(AP)