Lead US negotiator with Iran: Washington hasn't offered any sanctions relief to Tehran

Israel's security interests will not be dismissed, Sherman says in excerpt of interview with Channel 10.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Wendy Sherman 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Wendy Sherman 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
The US has not offered any sanctions relief to Iran, the lead US negotiator with Iran, Wendy Sherman told Channel 10 ahead of talks between Tehran and world power scheduled for November 7-8 in Geneva.
"We have not offered any sanctions relief on Iran, and we have not removed any sanctions," Sherman said in an excerpt of an interview with Channel 10 set to be broadcast in full on Sunday.
The Obama administration has been seeking to dissuade US lawmakers from imposing fresh sanctions against Iran to allow for flexibility going into the second round of talks of Tehran's nuclear program. 
According to the US under secretary of state, Israel's security interests will not be dismissed during the negotiating process, which she said is still in preliminary stages.
In regard to recent allegations that Washington eavesdropped on a number of its allies, Channel 10 asked Sherman whether the US has spied on Israeli political leaders.
While refusing to confirm or the deny the question, Sherman said "Israel has vaunted capabilities in terms of intelligence, which we all are grateful for because we all rely on the superb intelligence community that Israel has to offer the world".
"We will all have to talk about these things together, because we all face these challenges together."
Sherman added that she believed Washington would be consulting with Israel, which she called "a very strong intelligence partner," on the matter.