Wendy Sherman, the lead US negotiator in talks on Iran’s nuclear program, will step down whenever the negotiations end, the US State Department said on Thursday, Reuters reported. It is conceivable Sherman could continue as under secretary of state for political affairs should the talks go well beyond a self-imposed June 30 deadline, department spokesman Jeff Rathke said, but stressed that Washington had no plans to extend them. Rathke declined to explain why Sherman, who has been in her post since September 2011 and has been the lead Iran negotiator for the last two years, announced her planned departure before what is seen as a decisive and possibly conclusive round of talks. “She’s committed to staying on through the completion of the talks,” Rathke said, adding, “by which we mean our goal of a joint comprehensive plan of action.”
