Appointments: Political-Military Affairs
Puneet Talwar, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council senior director for Iran, Iraq, and the Persian Gulf, is expected to be nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs.
The National Security Council's top adviser on Iran and the Persian Gulf Puneet Talwar is expected to be nominated as Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs, two US officials tell Al-Monitor, although a third official said the nomination announcement is not imminent.
Talwar did not respond to a query from the Back Channel Tuesday.
A former Professional Staff Member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee responsible for the Middle East under then Chairman Joseph Biden, and one of Biden’s closets foreign policy advisors, Talwar has served as the NSC senior director on Iran, Iraq and the Gulf states since the beginning of Obama’s first term, during which time Vice President Biden has served as the Obama administration’s point-man on Iraq.
Talwar has also been deeply engaged on US Iran policy and participated in the P5+1 negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program as a senior member of the US negotiating team.
