(January 25, 2022)

Richard Nephew, the State Department’s deputy special envoy for Iran who pushed for a tougher approach, has not been part of the talks in Vienna since early December, Wall Street Journal reported Monday. A State Department spokesman told Reuters late Monday that Nephew was no longer in the envoy role, though he was still at the department.

Two other unidentified team members have stepped back from the dialogue because they also sought a tougher stance toward Iran, according to the Journal.