The former Spain coach watched last week's World Cup qualifier between Iran and Syria in Tehran from the stands but left the country on Thursday without having signed a contract.

Speculation was rife in Iran over the weekend that Clemente was ready to snub the offer to succeed Amir Ghalenoei, but the 57-year-old confirmed on Tuesday that he had put pen to paper on a reported two-year deal.

Clemente told Spanish sports daily AS: "I sent a copy of my signed contract as Iranian national manager by fax and sent the original by DHL."

The Basque coach revealed that he will not move to Iran to take up the role, but will instead fly out to the Middle East before matches.

"To be Iran coach you don't have to live there," he said. "To start with, you can only watch one match at a time, as you can't be in all places at once.

"The other games I'll watch on the video, and the video works just as well in Zarautz as it does in Tehran."

Clemente, who has also coached Serbia, Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Real Betis and Espanyol, said that he was was unconcerned by Iran's political climate.

He said: "Russians, Chinese, communists, capitalists, blacks or whites are all the same to me.

"I am a football coach and I do not understand, nor want to understand, anything else.

"I am going there to try to qualify Iran for the 2010 World Cup and I do not care one bit about anything else.

"[Coaching] Iran is just like [coaching] Spain: you've got 30 guys to follow and evaluate. It's not that complicated."

Iran have been without a national coach since Ghalenoei left the post last July after his side's elimination from the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup.

However, Iran have been Asian champions three times in the past, leading Clemente to believe there is something to work with for the future.

"[They are] technical but a bit slow. They like passing and playing build-up football," he said. "There's work to be done but they were Asian champions and so there are possibilities."

Clemente's first game at the helm will be a World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on March 26.