Wendy Sherman

Former US diplomat and lead negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Claims

As speaker

Mentioned in

Key positions and views

The 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) was a strategic error that undermined American diplomatic options.

Iran will never formally surrender its right to enrich uranium or its missile program, but may agree to temporary, verifiable suspensions of these activities.

The Trump administration's foreign policy is accelerating a global shift away from U.S. economic and political hegemony, directly benefiting strategic rivals like China.

Iran's core demands in any negotiation will include the removal of U.S. military forces from the Middle East and recognition of its de facto control over the Strait of Hormuz.

China is a primary beneficiary of U.S.-Iran tensions, as it gains valuable intelligence on U.S. military limitations and a political precedent for its own territorial ambitions.

Podcast consensus on Sherman

Points of consensus

▶Wendy Sherman consistently criticizes the Trump administration's foreign policy, particularly the withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) and the perceived lack of technical expertise in subsequent negotiations.Apr–May 2026

▶She maintains that Iran has clear, non-negotiable strategic positions, including the right to enrich uranium, control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the ultimate goal of removing U.S. military forces from the Middle East.Apr 2026

▶Sherman repeatedly asserts that the Trump administration's actions have inadvertently benefited China by weakening U.S. alliances, revealing military inventory depletions, and providing a precedent for potential Chinese action against Taiwan.Apr 2026

▶Her analysis points to a broader geopolitical shift away from U.S. hegemony, highlighted by a predicted move from the U.S. dollar as the sole reserve currency to a basket of currencies.Apr 2026

Points of debate

▶The provided claims are all from Wendy Sherman herself, so there is no direct debate presented between sources. However, her positions are inherently contentious within the broader foreign policy discourse.May 2026

▶Her assertion that the Trump administration 'destroyed' Iran's conventional navy but not its asymmetric capabilities would be debated by military analysts regarding the definition of 'destroyed' and the overall impact on Iran's power projection.Apr 2026

▶Sherman's prediction of a significant and imminent shift away from the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency is a point of significant debate among economists and geopolitical strategists.Apr 2026

▶Her claim that key U.S. allies like the UK and Canada 'have beaten a path to China' due to a lack of reliance on the U.S. would be contested, as these countries still maintain deep security and economic ties with the United States.Apr 2026

Key themes

▶Critique of Trump Administration's Iran PolicyApr 2026

Sherman consistently argues that the Trump administration's withdrawal from the JCPOA was a mistake. She expresses concern over the administration's lack of technical expertise in negotiations and believes its actions, while damaging Iran's conventional navy, have failed to address more potent asymmetric threats like drones and fast boats.

Analysts should consider that Sherman's perspective frames the administration's 'maximum pressure' campaign not as a strategic success, but as a policy that has weakened the U.S. diplomatic position and failed to neutralize Iran's most effective military tools.

▶Iran's Unwavering Strategic Red LinesApr 2026

According to Sherman, Iran's core strategic positions are non-negotiable. This includes what they perceive as their sovereign right to enrich uranium, their conviction that they control the Strait of Hormuz, and their ultimate demand for a complete U.S. military withdrawal from the region. While they may accept temporary constraints on their nuclear or missile programs, they will not permanently relinquish these capabilities.

Investors and policymakers should operate under the assumption that any future deal with Iran will likely be a temporary suspension of activities with intrusive monitoring, not a permanent dismantlement of its core programs.

▶The Shifting Global Order and U.S. DeclineApr 2026

Sherman paints a picture of a world moving away from U.S. unipolarity. She predicts a shift from the U.S. dollar to a basket of currencies as the global reserve standard and notes that key allies like Canada and the UK are strengthening ties with China because they can no longer rely on the United States.

This theme suggests a growing risk for assets denominated in U.S. dollars and for businesses reliant on the stability of traditional U.S.-led alliances, signaling a need to hedge against multipolar geopolitical volatility.

▶China as a Strategic Beneficiary of US-Iran ConflictApr–May 2026

Sherman posits that China is carefully observing the U.S.-Iran conflict to its strategic advantage. China has noted the effectiveness of Iran's asymmetric warfare against a technologically superior U.S. military, seen the depletion of U.S. weapon inventories, and will likely use U.S. actions against Iran as a precedent to justify potential future moves on Taiwan.

This analysis implies that regional U.S. conflicts are no longer isolated, but serve as live-fire intelligence-gathering opportunities for strategic competitors like China, directly influencing their military doctrine and timetable for future actions.

Source episodes

Timeline

2015

Served as the lead negotiator for the United States in the talks that resulted in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Post-2018 (Trump Administration)

Emerged as a prominent critic of the Trump administration's decision to withdraw the United States from the JCPOA, framing it as a strategic mistake.

During heightened US-Iran tensions

Provided analysis asserting that the Trump administration's actions had successfully degraded Iran's conventional navy but failed to counter its more effective asymmetric capabilities, such as drones and fast boats.

Circa Trump-Xi Summit

Predicted that President Trump would enter a planned May summit with China's President Xi Jinping in a geopolitically weakened position, partly as a consequence of the ongoing conflict and policy towards Iran.

Suggested prompts

How does Wendy Sherman's assessment of Iran's asymmetric capabilities challenge conventional views of U.S. military dominance in the Middle East? &nearr;What are the long-term economic and geopolitical implications of the shift away from the U.S. dollar that Sherman predicts? &nearr;Based on Sherman's analysis of Iran's 'red lines,' what specific, realistic concessions would be required from the U.S. to achieve a new, lasting nuclear agreement? &nearr;How might China leverage the precedents and military lessons from the U.S.-Iran conflict in its strategic calculations regarding Taiwan, according to Sherman's claims? &nearr;

Key concepts

Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) 2 ep Geopolitics 2 ep US-Iran Relations 1 ep China 1 ep Strait of Hormuz 1 ep Asymmetric Warfare 1 ep US Dollar / Global Economy 1 ep US Foreign Policy 2 ep US Alliances 1 ep

Notable quotes

“They will never, I believe, give up what they believe is their right to enrich. They may voluntarily suspend it, but they won't give up the right.”

Wendy Sherman · How to Get a Deal With Iran: Former US Negotiator Wendy Sherman | The Mishal Husain Show

“Some of our best allies, Canada, the UK, have said they can't rely on us and have beaten a path to China.”

Wendy Sherman · How to Get a Deal With Iran: Former US Negotiator Wendy Sherman | The Mishal Husain Show

“And the U.S. dollar has always been the world's reserve currency. And I think we will see a greater move to trying to at least get a basket of currencies.”

Wendy Sherman · How to Get a Deal With Iran: Former US Negotiator Wendy Sherman | The Mishal Husain Show

“And yes, there is no question that President Trump has diminished Iran's capability, has destroyed their Navy, but not their fast boats, not their drone technology.”

Wendy Sherman · How to Get a Deal With Iran: Former US Negotiator Wendy Sherman | The Mishal Husain Show

Report last updated: Apr 28, 2026

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