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 Some senators have been discussing the idea of imposing new
sanctions on Iran that would kick in after six months or if Iran
violated terms of an interim deal reached 10 days ago that attempts
to contain its nuclear program.
"If we pass sanctions now, even with a deferred trigger which has
been discussed, the Iranians, and likely our international partners,
will see us as having negotiated in bad faith," White House
spokesman Jay Carney told reporters.
Administration officials have been pushing lawmakers not to move
ahead with a sanctions package, saying doing so risked alienating
Tehran and other countries engaged in the talks by making Washington
seem to be acting in bad faith.
But many lawmakers are skeptical about the agreement reached in
Geneva between negotiators for Iran and the so-called P5+1 — the
United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany — and
insist Washington should increase the pressure on Tehran by adding
to sanctions.
Wendy Sherman, the U.S. under secretary of state for political
affairs, who led the U.S. negotiating team in Geneva, was scheduled
to hold a classified briefing on Iran for the entire House of
Representatives on Wednesday morning.
Seeking to clarify some of the terms of the interim deal, a White
House spokeswoman said the United States is prepared to accept some
limited uranium enrichment by Iran in exchange for Tehran accepting
strict verification procedures.
The United States does not recognize that Iran has a right to
enrich, but "we are prepared to negotiate a strictly limited
enrichment program in the end state," said Bernadette Meehan, a
spokeswoman with the White House National Security Council.
This is because the Iranians have indicated for the first time that
they are prepared to accept "rigorous monitoring and limits on
level, scope, capacity and stockpiles," she said.
"If we can reach an understanding on all of these strict
constraints, then we could have an arrangement that includes a very
modest amount of enrichment that is tied to Iran's practical needs
and that eliminates any near-term breakout capability," said Meehan.
The White House says a six-month window without new sanctions would
allow negotiators to work on a comprehensive agreement to resolve
the decade-old dispute over Iran's nuclear program, which has
stirred fears of a new Middle East war.
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QUESTIONS OVER SANCTIONS
But lawmakers believe it was tough sanctions pushed by Congress — not the White House — that brought Tehran to the table and see no
reason not to spell out tough consequences if Iran does not comply
with the interim deal.
"That way we're not negotiating in what-ifs," a Senate aide said.
Members of Congress, including many of President Barack Obama's
fellow Democrats, are generally more hawkish on Iran than the
administration, and influential pro-Israel lobbyists have been
pressing lawmakers to keep to a tough line.
Carney said there are concerns in the Obama administration that any
new sanctions imposed by Congress would serve to undermine the core
architecture of the sanctions program.
"Passing any new sanctions right now would undermine a peaceful
resolution to this issue," he said.
Iran rejects allegations that it has sought covertly to develop the
capacity to produce nuclear weapons, saying it is enriching uranium
solely for civilian purposes.
Congressional aides said it was too early to know whether an Iran
sanctions package would be introduced as standalone legislation or
as an amendment to a measure such as a defense authorization bill
being considered by the Senate.
It also was not clear how far any legislation would go in the
Senate, where Obama's fellow Democrats control a majority of votes.
[By Patricia Zengerle and Steve Holland]
(Editing by Jackie Frank and Cynthia Osterman)
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