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US: Iran sanctions to be removed in 'phased manner'

10 April 2015 01:20 (UTC +04:00)

"Sanctions will be suspended in a phased manner upon verification that Iran has met specific commitments under a finalized joint comprehensive plan of action," State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said on Thursday.

Iran insists all sanctions should be removed once a framework understanding reached in Switzerland last week is finalized.

The P5+1 group – the US, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany – reached an outline of a potentially historic agreement with Iran on April 2 over Tehran’s civilian nuclear work that would lift all international sanctions imposed against the Islamic Republic in exchange for certain steps Tehran will take with regard to its nuclear program.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that Tehran would not sign any final nuclear agreement unless "all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the same day."

Rouhani said on Sunday that the nuclear understanding reached in Switzerland seeks removal of all anti-Iran sanctions, not their suspension.

“We have never negotiated the suspension of sanctions and if it were the case, there would be no agreement,” he said.

But the US State Department spokesman insisted that the framework agreement foresees a gradual lifting of international sanctions.

"The process of sanctions suspension or relief will only begin after Iran has completed its major nuclear steps and the breakout time has been increased to at least a year," he said.

"So that's consistent with what we said over the last week or so, and that was agreed upon by all the parties in Lausanne," he said.

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program.

The illegal sanctions on Iran have been imposed based on the unfounded accusation that Tehran is pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

In addition, the IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence showing that Iran's civilian nuclear program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.