Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman retires
Sherman was a lead negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed between Iran and world powers, including the US.
Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman officially retired and stepped down from her post on Friday.
“Today marks Wendy Sherman’s final day here at the State Department. Wendy has been a remarkable diplomat, counselor, and friend for over 30 years. Thank you for your service and achievements on behalf of our nation. I wish you the best in your next chapter,” tweeted Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Earlier this week, Blinken released a statement ahead of Sherman’s retirement, thanking her for her service, “Wendy’s career has been extraordinary by every measure: the sheer number of hours and miles logged while serving three Presidents and five Secretaries of State; the vexing problems she’s tackled and solved; the partnerships she’s strengthened; the individuals she’s mentored, and the lives of countless Americans she’s made better – all thanks to her leadership.”
The statement also noted that President Biden has asked Victoria Nuland to serve as Acting Deputy Secretary until the next Deputy Secretary is confirmed.
Sherman was nominated by Biden to serve as Deputy Secretary of State in January of 2021. The Senate confirmed Sherman in April of that year. She was the first woman to hold the position.
News of her retirement was made public already this past March.
Sherman previously served as under secretary of State for political affairs in the Obama administration and was a lead negotiator of the 2015 nuclear deal that was signed between Iran and world powers, including the US.
At the time, she insisted that the Iran deal was good for Israel and said Israeli experts held a dialogue with American experts and thereby influenced significant parts of the deal.
President Donald Trump ultimately withdrew from the agreement in 2018, leading Iran to respond by scaling back its compliance with the agreement.
The Biden administration, however, has sought to return to the deal and held indirect talks with Iran on a return to compliance.
While the talks were stalled in September after the sides failed to reach an agreement on IAEA probes of Iran’s nuclear activities, recent reports indicated that the US and Iran held indirect talks on a new agreement.
Blinken this week said that US officials are currently not talking about a nuclear agreement with their counterparts in Tehran.
He noted that the Biden administration “made a very good faith effort to get back into compliance with them. They couldn’t or wouldn’t do it. We’re now in a place where we’re not talking about a nuclear agreement.”
“Maybe we’ll have an environment where we can get back into a conversation about their nuclear program. Right now, we’re not in it,” he stated.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)