US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran resigns amid nuclear talks
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US Deputy Special Envoy has left the US negotiating team in Vienna over emerging differences.
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US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Richard Nephew
Richard Nephew, US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, has left his post from the nuclear negotiations team, Reuters reported on Monday.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nephew resigned over differences of opinion within the US negotiating team on Iran. He backed a firmer stance in the current negotiations, the paper said.
On his account, US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran Richard Nephew is no longer on the negotiating team, but remains a State Department employee, according to a State Department official.
The official did not specify a reason for the change, but said “personnel moves were very common a year into an administration”.
The resignation comes at a critical time, as the US and its European allies announced last week that a few weeks remain to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Read More: 2021 Roundup: A JCPOA revival in 2022?
It is worth mentioning that indirect talks between Iran and the US recommenced almost two months ago.
Washington announced Monday it is ready to meet directly with Iran to advance ongoing Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations, a State Department spokesperson told Sputnik.
AFP has also quoted a US official as saying that Washington is ready for urgent, direct negotiations with Iran.
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
