WASHINGTON (AP) President Barack Obama personally appealed to senators Tuesday to delay seeking additional sanctions on Iran while the U.S. and world powers negotiate a nuclear deal with Tehran.
Republican Sen. Bob Corker, who attended the White House meeting, said Obama asked lawmakers to pause for "a period of
time." Corker did not specify how long the president asked lawmakers to wait.
Corker said some lawmakers want to be able to at least announce new sanctions proposals in the coming days. But he said there will not be any sanctions amendments added before Thanksgiving to an annual defense bill, which could be the main vehicle for new imposing economic penalties.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama told the senators that if there's not an initial agreement, Iran will keep making progress on its enrichment program. He said new sanctions would be most effective as a consequence for Iran refusing to accept a deal or forsaking its commitments under an agreement.
In a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry after the meeting, six senators from both parties cast doubt on the budding deal, urging the Obama administration not to accept an agreement that would be overly generous to Iran or insufficiently tough on its nuclear program. Among those signing the letter were Obama Democratic allies Sen. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
