The effort to prevent Iran from deploying nuclear weapons took another jolt on Wednesday when US President Obama’s chief negotiator on the Iran file, Wendy R. Sherman, announced that she will resign her position as undersecretary of State for Policy shortly after the 30 June deadline for a deal. “It’s incredibly complex,” she said, “with the Congress, with the press, our negotiating partners – and then, when you are done with that, negotiating with the Iranians.” Her departure will mean, among other things, that none of the senior US diplomats who have taken part in negotiations with Iran over the last two years will remain in the Obama Administration, prompting analysts to question how any deal that is agreed upon will be implemented. Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced Wednesday that France would oppose a nuclear deal with Iran if it did not allow inspections of military sites, something Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenai has angrily ruled out. Read More
