Biden to name Sherman, Nuland to top diplomatic posts -Politico

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Democratic President-elect Joe Biden plans to name U.S. foreign policy veterans Wendy Sherman and Victoria Nuland to be the No. 2 and No. 3 officials at the State Department, Politico reported on Tuesday.

Sherman, one of the key U.S. negotiators of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that Republican President Donald Trump abandoned, will be nominated as deputy secretary of state, the news media outlet reported, citing two unnamed sources close to the transition.

Nuland, a retired career foreign service officer who served as the top U.S. diplomat for Europe, NATO ambassador and State Department spokeswoman, will be nominated as undersecretary of state for political affairs, effectively the third-ranking U.S. diplomat, Politico said, citing one of the sources.

Both positions are subject to U.S. Senate confirmation.

A spokesman for the Biden transition declined to comment, as did Nuland. Sherman, who served as the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs during the Obama administration, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; editing by Jonathan Oatis)