Britain Says Iranian Sanctions Could Be Lifted Next Spring

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said he expects sanctions on Iran could start to be lifted as early as spring next year.

Hammond was speaking to Reuters on August 24 during a visit to Tehran to reopen Britain's embassy in the Iranian capital.

Hammond said he expected Iran and the United States could endorse the nuclear deal they reached last month by October.

Hammond said preparatory work should be done ahead of lifting sanctions so investment can start to flow as soon as the measures are removed.

He said Iranian President Hassan Rohani, with whom he held talks, had sent out strong signals of a desire for dialogue and Iran wanted to turn a page in its relations with Britain and the West.

Based on reporting by Reuters