Chief US Iran negotiator to step down once talks conclude

The US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and chief negotiator in the nuclear talks with Iran, Wendy Sherman, will leave the State Department, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Wendy Sherman will step down following the conclusion of a nuclear deal between the UK, US, China, France, Germany, Russia and Iran. Although the initial deadline was set for 30 June, some US officials warned on Wednesday that the negotiations may stretch beyond that date.

US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday, in Iran, to assess the progress of the talks, which screeched to a halt several weeks ago.

In order to obtain relief from the international sanctions which are now strangling the country's economy, the so-called P5+1 nations insist that Iran should scale back its nuclear activities and be subject to exhaustive inspections.

"Wendy has been an absolutely critical member of my team, most notably in her work spearheading the nuclear negotiations with Iran, but also on nearly every important issue that has crossed my desk," said Kerry in a statement provided to CNN

"Wendy's tenacity and skill, and her close relations and collaboration with her P5+1 and EU counterparts, were instrumental in enabling us to reach the interim agreement that halted the progress of Iran's nuclear program for the first time in almost a decade and made our nation, our partners and allies and our world, safer," Kerry said.

Sherman was appointed as the key negotiator with Iran's regime by then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011.

"She was the one who always made sure there were no gaps"

“There were many moments when our own government, and our negotiating partners, were on different paths with the Iranians, and she was the one who always made sure there were no gaps,” said her predecessor, William J. Burns.

Her departure from the Obama administration would mark the latest by a top official who has negotiated with Iran.

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