diff --git a/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/collections/AbstractIterator.kt b/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/collections/AbstractIterator.kt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7f30b156c70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/src/main/kotlin/kotlin/collections/AbstractIterator.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+package kotlin.collections
+
+
+private enum class State {
+    Ready,
+    NotReady,
+    Done,
+    Failed
+}
+
+/**
+ * A base class to simplify implementing iterators so that implementations only have to implement [computeNext]
+ * to implement the iterator, calling [done] when the iteration is complete.
+ */
+public abstract class AbstractIterator<T>: Iterator<T> {
+    private var state = State.NotReady
+    private var nextValue: T? = null
+
+    override fun hasNext(): Boolean {
+        require(state != State.Failed)
+        return when (state) {
+            State.Done -> false
+            State.Ready -> true
+            else -> tryToComputeNext()
+        }
+    }
+
+    override fun next(): T {
+        if (!hasNext()) throw NoSuchElementException()
+        state = State.NotReady
+        return nextValue as T
+    }
+
+    private fun tryToComputeNext(): Boolean {
+        state = State.Failed
+        computeNext()
+        return state == State.Ready
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Computes the next item in the iterator.
+     *
+     * This callback method should call one of these two methods:
+     *
+     * * [setNext] with the next value of the iteration
+     * * [done] to indicate there are no more elements
+     *
+     * Failure to call either method will result in the iteration terminating with a failed state
+     */
+    abstract protected fun computeNext(): Unit
+
+    /**
+     * Sets the next value in the iteration, called from the [computeNext] function
+     */
+    protected fun setNext(value: T): Unit {
+        nextValue = value
+        state = State.Ready
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Sets the state to done so that the iteration terminates.
+     */
+    protected fun done() {
+        state = State.Done
+    }
+}
+
+