Nuclear deal with Iran reaches milestone, but US officials emphasize Iran has much work ahead

WASHINGTON (AP) Oct. 18, 2015 — The Obama administration says it expects Iran will take months to live up to its end of a seven-nation nuclear pact that could eventually relieve the country of international sanctions.
A milestone in the agreement kicks in Sunday, with Iran beginning to make major changes to an underground nuclear facility, a heavy water reactor and a site for enriching uranium. The changes won’t happen immediately, and Iran must further constrain its nuclear program before relief from sanctions will occur.
Senior administration officials insist that no sanctions relief will occur until the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency has verified Iran’s compliance with the terms of the agreement. They say Iran’s work will almost certainly take more than the two months Iran has projected.