US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington could begin lifting sanctions against the Iran if the Islamic Republic rapid measures to cooperate with international monitoring of its nuclear program.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Washington could begin lifting sanctions against the Iran if the Islamic Republic rapid measures to cooperate with international monitoring of its nuclear program.

In an interview with CBS News flagship 60 Minutes, the top US diplomat said Iran should, for example, open up its Fordow underground nuclear facility to international inspection and undertake to scale down the level to which it enriches uranium.

"The United States is not going to lift the sanctions until it is clear that a very verifiable, accountable, transparent process is in place, whereby we know exactly what Iran is going be doing with its program," he said.

But, asked by his interviewer whether Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had been right to predict that a deal could be in place within three to six months, Kerry replied: "Sure, it's possible."

"It's possible to have a deal sooner than that depending on how forthcoming and clear Iran is prepared to be," he said, according to a transcript provided by CBS.