No. 2 US diplomat to retire

WASHINGTON (AP) — The second-highest ranking American diplomat is retiring this fall after a 32-year career in the foreign service that included stints as U.S. ambassador to Russia and Jordan, top Middle East hand and leader of a team that held secret talks with Iran.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns will step down in October, having several times delayed retirement at the request of President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. Burns is just the second career diplomat to hold the No. 2 job at the State Department. In 2012, he was tasked with leading a small team of U.S. officials in covert discussions with Iran that resulted in the current negotiations over that country’s nuclear program.