A senior Iranian diplomat says Tehran expects its landmark nuclear deal with world powers to enter into force early next year.
"We expect it will be in early January," Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Vienna on November 24 after meeting the head of the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is responsible for verifying the accord.
Araghchi added that the Islamic republic will have implemented its commitments under the deal by then.
The agreement was signed July 14 in Vienna by Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of world powers: Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States, plus Germany.
Under the deal, Iran has promised to drastically scale back its nuclear program in exchange for relief from some international sanctions.
The IAEA released a report last week showing that Iran has so far removed some 4,500 centrifuges, though it must close down an additional 10,000 under the terms of the agreement.
The nuclear watchdog is expected to issue a report in early December assessing whether Iran has conducted nuclear weapons development projects.