U.S. sees gradual sanctions relief in Iran nuclear deal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will remove sanctions on Iran only in stages as part of a nuclear deal, tied to Tehran's "verifiable" steps in curbing its nuclear activities, a senior U.S. Treasury official said on Thursday.

Iran and six world powers are seeking an agreement to curb Iran's most sensitive nuclear activities for at least 10 years in exchange for a gradual end to sanctions on Tehran.

If the powers reach a deal, Washington still plans to keep any sanctions tied to Iran's support for militant groups, human rights abuses and other "destabilizing" activities in the Middle East, said Adam Szubin, the acting head of Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.

(Reporting by Anna Yukhananov; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)