The president of Iran said Thursday that the country will most likely meet a July deadline for a nuclear deal. 

While Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed optimism that a deal will be brokered by July with six world powers, Western officials said they are not as certain that a deal will be struck by the deadline. 

According to The Associated Press, six world powers gathered last week to begin drafting a deal, but the negotiations ended without beginning the draft. 

Nevertheless, Rouhani said that a July deal remains "very likely," although he did not dismiss the fact that more time may be needed for the negotiations. 

However, Western officials said the two sides are no closer to striking a deal than they were in February, which is when the latest round of talks were held in attempts to lessen Tehran's nuclear capabilities by offering to lift some of the crippling sanctions on the country. 

The diplomats, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said a United Nations report is expected Friday that will clarify that Iran will honor a deal to limit some of the country's  nuclear capabilities, which will include limiting enrichment to a level below weapons-grade uranium. 

A spokesperson from the U.N. atomic agency said they will not comment on the proceedings until the report is published. 

According to Western officials, one of the main disputes that derailed talks is that Western allies want to limit Iran to 3,000 centrifuges to churn out enriched uranium, whereas Iran insists on having 100,000. 

The West also wants to reconfigure a reactor of plutonium to prevent it from helping create nuclear arms, but Iran refuses. 

Iran has also refused to have the United States shut down or repurpose their fortified underground enrichment facility.