Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tenure as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton served as the 67th United States Secretary of State, under President Barack Obama, from 2009 to 2013, overseeing the department that conducted the Foreign policy of Barack Obama. She was preceded in office by Condoleezza Rice, and succeeded by John Kerry. She is also the only former First Lady of the United States to become a member of the United States Cabinet. Within a week after the November 4, 2008, presidential election, President-elect Obama and Clinton discussed over telephone the possibility of her serving as U.S. Secretary of State in his
Political positions of Hillary Clinton election campaign, Clinton criticized Obama for being willing to negotiate with Iran without preconditions. As Secretary of State, Clinton helped arrange secret lower-level talks with the nation in 2012 and in 2013. After resigning as Secretary of State, she stated that negotiations were the most likely way for the U.S. to influence the country's nuclear development. On April 2, 2015, Clinton confirmed her support for an agreement to lift economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on the country's nuclear program, calling it "an important step" in controlling the nation's security. In January 2016, Clinton said, "I'm very proud