Alwaght- The architect of the US sanctions on Iran Richard Nephew was excluded from Washington's negotiating team in Vienna as Tehran and the remaining signatories of the 2015 agreement are intensifying the process of drafting a revived deal that promised sanctions relief for certain caps on Iran’s nuclear program.
A State Department official confirmed on Monday that, US Deputy Special Envoy for Iran-- the architect of sanctions on Iran during the Obama administration-- is no longer on the negotiating team. The official did not give a reason for the change. However, The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Nephew left after differences of opinion within the US negotiating team on Iran. The paper said he had advocated a tougher posture in the current negotiations.
The departure comes at a critical time as the US and its European allies last week said there were just weeks to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, signaling that the US is ready for some compromises.
