Q&A on the News

A: Secretary of State John Kerry, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who is a nuclear physicist, lead the U.S. team negotiating with Iran in Lausanne, Switzerland. The U.S. delegation includes (according to the State Department):

• Robert Malley, senior director for Iran, Iraq and the Gulf States, National Security Council
• James Timbie, senior advisor to the under secretary of state for arms control and international security
• Paul Irwin, director for nonproliferation, National Security Council
• Christopher Backemeyer, principal deputy coordinator for sanctions policy, Department of State
• Kevin Veal, director of the office of International Nuclear Safeguards, National Nuclear Security Administration, Department of Energy
• Felicia Swindells, senior sanctions policy advisor, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury
• Newell Highsmith, deputy legal adviser, Department of State
• Joshua Black, chief, sanctions and counterterrorism, U.S. Mission to the United Nations
• Alan Eyre, Persian language spokesperson, Department of State
• Mark Appleton, special adviser to the secretary, Department of Energy
• Julia Jacoby, special assistant to under secretary of state

A deal “would force Iran to cut hardware it could use to make an atomic bomb by about 40 percent for at least a decade,” while providing the country with “immediate relief from sanctions,” the Associated Press reported Thursday. The countries would like to have a framework in place by March 31 and a full agreement by June. Officials from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia also are participating in the talks.

Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).