A senior nuclear negotiator said it would take Iran "two to three months" to implement its commitments as a prerequisite for putting into force a final nuclear deal with the major powers.
"Technically, the implementation of our measures will take two to three months," while all the other side needs to do is "issue a decree" to meet its end of the deal to remove sanctions, Abbas Araqchi said.
The problem is synchronizing the two reciprocal moves, which is of paramount importance, he was quoted by IRNA as saying in an interview with state TV on Saturday.
Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany), which have been in talks to resolve a 12-year dispute over Tehran's nuclear program, decided to extend a self-imposed June 30 deadline for another week until Tuesday.
After the deal is announced on Tuesday, if its text is finalized by then, it will go to the US Congress and the Majlis for review before being submitted to the UN Security Council for endorsement, a process which will take "one or a little over one month," Araqchi said.
The Security Council will issue a new resolution to approve the deal, making it a binding international agreement, and it is only then that the parties to the talks enter the implementation phase of the pact, he explained.
"The day the deal is put into force, the West will terminate its sanctions, by which time Iran will have made necessary preparations for the implementation of its commitments."
***Most Sanctions Nuclear-Related
Most of the sanctions against Iran have been imposed over its nuclear program, the deputy foreign minister said, adding that only a few are related to other issues such as human rights and terrorism.
"The majority of sanctions are nuclear-related. The Central Bank (of Iran) and other banks have been included in the sanctions list because of the nuclear issue. Only one bank has been targeted by sanctions imposed over the unfounded excuse of human rights violations."
The nuclear issue is also responsible for the sanctions on the oil and petrochemical industries, Araqchi said.
He said although "the prolongation of the talks and the extension of the deadline are not beneficial" and the negotiating team has focused on meeting the July 7 deadline, it does not feel bound by time.
"We will not allow time to decide for us," Araqchi said, stressing, "An agreement that respects our principles and desired framework is possible. Otherwise we will not follow the path which will lead to a bad agreement."
Noting that some "serious" questions are yet to be resolved, he said basically "there was no agreement in Lausanne, but we only reached some solutions. The solutions do not address all the issues under negotiation."
Iran and its international negotiating partners reached a landmark understanding on the prospective pact on April 2 in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
