Report: Looming Iran deal to include 4 phases, taking full effect after 165 days

The Haaretz daily publishes what it says are details from a draft of the looming Iran nuclear deal said to be in the final stages of negotiation between Tehran and world powers.

According to the unsourced report, the draft deal includes four incremental steps in the halting of Iran’s nuclear activity and in the lifting of Western sanctions on the Islamic Republic, with the fourth and final step taking effect 165 days after the deal is signed.

The purpose of the gradual steps is to consolidate trust between the parties, according to the report.

Before any deal is signed, the sides will reportedly finalize a deal that will see Western prisoners freed by Tehran in exchange for Iranian assets being unfrozen by Western nations and initial sanctions relief.

The first step, taking effect on the day of the signing, will see Iran freeze its uranium enrichment, although it will be allowed to hold on to the enriched uranium it will have stockpiled before that date.

The report says the second step will take 30 days and will see the administration of US President Joe Biden bring the deal to the US Congress for approval. The third step, 60 days after the Congress approval, will see Washington notify the UN Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about its decision to rejoin the pact.

The fourth and final step — after an additional 60 days — will see the US formally return to the deal, with the sides removing more sanctions and halting their violations of the 2015 deal, according to the report.