Wendy Sherman, Joe Biden’s candidate for assistant secretary of state, was the main US negotiator for the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal.
US President-elect Joe Biden has appointed a key negotiator for the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal as the next US Deputy Secretary of State, the second-highest position in the State Department.
In a statement on Saturday, Biden revealed a number of candidates for the State Department, including longtime diplomat Wendy Sherman as Assistant Secretary of State.
Sherman, professor and director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, served as Secretary of State for Political Affairs for four years during Barack Obama’s tenure when Biden was Vice President.
“She has successfully brought the world together to strengthen democracy and face some of the greatest national security challenges of our time, including leading the US negotiating team on the Iran deal,” the statement said.
It is my honor to be nominated to join this extraordinary team if this is confirmed. It is run by @ABlinken and serves @JoeBiden @SenKamalaHarris and the American people. https://t.co/tEYvqbuck6
– Wendy R. Sherman (@wendyrsherman) January 16, 2021
Biden, which will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has promised to revert to the deal under which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.
President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 when he was pursuing a “maximum pressure” strategy against the Iranian government.
The Trump administration has hit Tehran with a host of sanctions, and tensions between the two countries have increased amid a stream of hostile rhetoric and action over the final weeks of the Republican president’s tenure.
In mid-December, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Tehran was not necessarily “excited” that Biden would take office, but that it was “very happy” to see Trump end his presidency. “We’re not very excited about Biden coming, but we’re very happy that Trump is coming,” said Rouhani.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, Biden also appointed Victoria Nuland, a retired foreign service officer who was the best US diplomat for Europe, NATO ambassador and State Department spokesperson, as political affairs secretary.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to confirm Antony Blinken, Biden’s candidate for Secretary of State.
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