US deputy special envoy for Iran quits post

SANAA, Jan. 25 (YPA) – A senior member of the US negotiating team with Iran has left his post, in what a report attributed to differences of opinion on how to proceed.

A US State Department official confirmed that Richard Nephew, the deputy US envoy for Iran, is no longer part of the negotiating team, but he is still an employee of the ministry.

The official did not give a reason for Neveu’s departure from the team, but said that the movement of people is “very common” after a year in the life of the management.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Nephew left after differences of opinion within the US negotiating team on Iran. The newspaper said Nephew was in favor of a tougher approach to the current negotiations.

His departure comes at a critical time, with the United States and its European allies saying there are only weeks left before the chance to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

E.M