Key facts
- A 60-day negotiation period for a U.S.-Iran nuclear deal is considered insufficient by former negotiator Wendy Sherman.
- Sherman stated that the JCPOA negotiations took 18 months, highlighting the complexity of such agreements.
- The draft deal reportedly involves the U.S. releasing $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets.
- Iran would agree not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons.
- Israeli strikes in Beirut are reportedly complicating the finalization of the deal.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman expressed skepticism on Sunday regarding a proposed 60-day timeframe for the U.S. and Iran to negotiate a deal on Tehran's nuclear program. Speaking on ABC's "This Week," Sherman described the period as "pretty short," recalling that the Obama administration's Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations took 18 months, not the initially planned six months.
Sherman emphasized the need for a comprehensive team of experts, including nuclear physicists, treasury and sanctions specialists, and lawyers, to finalize such an agreement. She noted that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, a top negotiator, is "very tough" and "very smart." Sherman also commented on the rise of hardliners within the Iranian regime, stating it has worsened due to the ongoing conflict.
President Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced on Saturday that the U.S. and Iran were on the verge of signing a final deal. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz conveyed the administration's confidence in the deal's imminent signing.
According to a senior Iranian official cited by Reuters, the draft deal includes the U.S. releasing $25 billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Iran agreeing not to produce or acquire nuclear weapons. However, a source told NewsNation that recent Israeli strikes in Beirut are creating obstacles to finalizing the agreement, as a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was a condition set by Iran for maintaining a ceasefire with the U.S.