U.S. deputy special envoy for Iran leaves post amid Iran nuclear talks

FILE PHOTO: Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) Enrique Mora and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani with delegations wait for the start of a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna, Austria December 9, 2021. EU Delegation in Vienna/EEAS/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A senior member of the U.S. team negotiating with Iran has left the role amid a report of differences of opinion on the way forward, as the urgency to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal intensifies.

A State Department official confirmed on Monday that Richard Nephew, U.S. Deputy Special Envoy for Iran, is no longer on the negotiating team, but was still a State Department employee. The official did not give a reason for the change but said personnel moves were 'very common' a year into an administration.