Congress is considering a new series of Iran sanctions on everything from mining and construction to the Islamic republic’s already besieged oil industry, despite concern from the Obama administration that the measures could interfere with nuclear negotiations, AP reported on Tuesday.
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TEHRAN (Asremrooz): House and Senate bills are both advancing at a time President Barack Obama’s national security team is gauging whether Iranian President-elect Hasan Rohani is serious about halting some elements of Tehran’s uranium enrichment activity. Those involved in the process said the administration wants to temper Congressional plans until Rohani takes office in August and has an opportunity to demonstrate whether his government will offer concessions.
The legislation would blacklist Iran’s mining and construction sectors, effective next year.
It also would commit the U.S. to the goal of ending all Iranian oil sales worldwide by 2015, targeting the country’s biggest revenue generator and prime source of money.
U.S. penalties that went into effect last year already have cut Iran’s petroleum exports in half.
The House’s bill may pass before Congress’ August recess. The Senate version won’t get a vote until at least September, said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading advocate of tougher Iran sanctions. The Senate Banking Committee, which will put forward the package, is in ongoing consultations with the administration, according to one U.S. official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the sanctions.
John McCain, R-Ariz., said the U.S. should immediately “plow ahead” with greater and tougher measures against Iran. “We’re running out of time,” he said.
The U.S. and some of its European allies say Iran may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iranians insist their program is solely for energy and research purposes.
The State Department wouldn’t comment specifically on new legislation while it said it was waiting for Rohani to be sworn in. “We will see what he does once in office,” spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
A senior U.S. official said the administration’s concerns were about the timing and content of the legislation.
If Rohani is serious about compromise, setting new sanctions in advance of talks risks undercutting him, the official said. Even if the new Iranian leader isn’t serious, the oil measures in particular are problematic, turning a potential U.S. diplomatic success into a failure.
If China or Japan, for example, decides to flout the U.S. demand to stop all importing from Iran, the administration would then have to weigh enforcing the law by blacklisting Chinese and Japanese banks and companies at the risk of widespread economic harm — including for Americans.
Despite wide bilateral support in Congress for tougher sanctions, some Democrats and Republicans are embracing the administration’s cautious approach. In a letter last week to Obama, 18 GOP House members joined more than 100 of their Democratic colleagues in urging the president to “reinvigorate U.S. efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement” and give Rohani a chance.
Rohani’s election clearly has bolstered hope of compromise. A former nuclear negotiator and centrist cleric, Rohani has suggested a more accommodating approach than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say on nuclear issues.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said last week his country would be ready to resume talks once Rohani, who takes office the first weekend in August, puts together a negotiating team.
World powers want the meeting “as soon as possible,” Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said last week. Ashton has served as the point of contact for the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia since talks with Iran restarted last year. They’ve yet to make significant headway despite four rounds of discussions.
The legislation would blacklist Iran’s mining and construction sectors, effective next year.
It also would commit the U.S. to the goal of ending all Iranian oil sales worldwide by 2015, targeting the country’s biggest revenue generator and prime source of money.
U.S. penalties that went into effect last year already have cut Iran’s petroleum exports in half.
The House’s bill may pass before Congress’ August recess. The Senate version won’t get a vote until at least September, said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a leading advocate of tougher Iran sanctions. The Senate Banking Committee, which will put forward the package, is in ongoing consultations with the administration, according to one U.S. official who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about the sanctions.
John McCain, R-Ariz., said the U.S. should immediately “plow ahead” with greater and tougher measures against Iran. “We’re running out of time,” he said.
The U.S. and some of its European allies say Iran may be seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Iranians insist their program is solely for energy and research purposes.
The State Department wouldn’t comment specifically on new legislation while it said it was waiting for Rohani to be sworn in. “We will see what he does once in office,” spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
A senior U.S. official said the administration’s concerns were about the timing and content of the legislation.
If Rohani is serious about compromise, setting new sanctions in advance of talks risks undercutting him, the official said. Even if the new Iranian leader isn’t serious, the oil measures in particular are problematic, turning a potential U.S. diplomatic success into a failure.
If China or Japan, for example, decides to flout the U.S. demand to stop all importing from Iran, the administration would then have to weigh enforcing the law by blacklisting Chinese and Japanese banks and companies at the risk of widespread economic harm — including for Americans.
Despite wide bilateral support in Congress for tougher sanctions, some Democrats and Republicans are embracing the administration’s cautious approach. In a letter last week to Obama, 18 GOP House members joined more than 100 of their Democratic colleagues in urging the president to “reinvigorate U.S. efforts to secure a negotiated nuclear agreement” and give Rohani a chance.
Rohani’s election clearly has bolstered hope of compromise. A former nuclear negotiator and centrist cleric, Rohani has suggested a more accommodating approach than his predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has final say on nuclear issues.
Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said last week his country would be ready to resume talks once Rohani, who takes office the first weekend in August, puts together a negotiating team.
World powers want the meeting “as soon as possible,” Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said last week. Ashton has served as the point of contact for the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia since talks with Iran restarted last year. They’ve yet to make significant headway despite four rounds of discussions.
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