Q: Could you give the names of the people on the team negotiating the nuclear deal with Iran? Are there any Department of Defense members on that team?
—Phil Monroe, Mableton
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).
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