US Senate introduces new sanctions legislation on Iran

In defiance of the Obama administration, a group of US senators Thursday introduced new legislation to further increase sanctions on Iran if its violates its obligations under the landmark interim agreement reached between world powers and Iran in Geneva, or if a final accord is not struck.  Led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez, the bipartisan proposal received support from 26 senators, including Menendez. In response, the White House said that US President Barack Obama would veto the measure should it clear the Senate. “We don't think it will be enacted. If it were enacted, the president would veto it. The fact of the matter is this is not a debate about being for or against sanctions,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney at the White House Thursday. He added, “We believe that it's important to allow this diplomatic opening to be explored, and the risk of passing new sanctions now is that it would -- doing so would derail the negotiations just when diplomacy is making progress.” The White House has consistently made its opposition known to any effort to implement additional sanctions while negotiations between the P5+1 and Iran continue, saying that such a move could potentially destabilize the fragile talks. It is unclear if the bill will reach a vote in the Senate, but such a move would be weeks away at the earliest.