US diplomat tapped to implement Iran deal

A diplomat with more than three decades of experience will be the point man for coordinating the Obama administration’s implementation of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Stephen Mull, the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Poland, will be tasked with ensuring that Iran sticks to its end of the bargain, the State Department said on Thursday, the end of Congress’s 60-day window to review the accord.

{mosads}“As we move past the 60-day congressional review period, it is vitally important that we now have the right team with the right leader in place to ensure the successful implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA],” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement, using the formal name for the Iran deal.

That team “will make the United States, our friends and allies in the Middle East, and the entire world safer,” he added.

Before serving as the ambassador to Poland, Mull was the State Department’s executive secretary.

The announcement comes as the accord with Iran enters its next stage, with Congress being unable to block it so far.

The next deadline for the international agreement is Oct. 18, when the pact is set to be formally adopted.

There will still be multiple months, however, until international sanctions are formally lifted under the terms of the deal. First, the International Atomic Energy Agency needs to verify that Iran achieved certain steps to dissemble its nuclear program and reduce its stockpile of enriched uranium, which likely won’t occur until some point next year.

Some lawmakers reject the Obama administration’s claim that the 60-day window for their review is closing. They say Congress has not received all documents under the terms of the deal as required by law, so the review period never officially began.