Iran president deletes #IranDeal tweet

Tehran

A tweet from Iran President Hassan Rouhani's official account was deleted Monday just moments after he indicated a deal on the Islamic republic's nuclear programme had been reached.

"#IranDeal is the victory of diplomacy & mutual respect over the outdated paradigm of exclusion & coercion. And this is a good beginning," the message said.

Having sought to end the nuclear crisis -- and with it the international sanctions that have paralysed Iran's economy -- Rouhani's fate is often seen as inextricably linked to the negotiations.

With officials in Vienna saying the chances of an accord being agreed on Monday were slim, the tweet swiftly disappeared from Rouhani's Twitter feed.

The president's sole English-language Twitter account -- a parallel one in Persian was also deleted -- is thought to be run by his media department.

He later sent a new tweet which was more muted.

"If #IranDeal, victory of diplomacy and mutual respect over outdated paradigm of exclusion and coercion. And this will be good beginning," it said.

Rouhani had been expected to address the nation on state television late Monday amid reports that a deal with world powers was close, but those plans appear to have been postponed.