Washington: There is no need for Congress to add new sanctions on Iran if the US is serious about pursuing diplomatic solution to Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme, US President Barack Obama said on Thursday.
“My message to Congress has been that let’s see if this short-term, phase-one deal can be completed to our satisfaction,” Xinhua quoted Obama as saying at a press conference.
Officials from Iran and the P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the US plus Germany, will resume negotiations Nov 20 in Geneva after an initial round of talks ended last week without an agreement.
Obama urged the Congress to give an opportunity to see how serious Iran is about resolving the nuclear issue diplomatically and peacefully. “If they’re not serious, we can dial those sanctions right back up,” Obama said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Wednesday that if Congress were to unilaterally move to raise sanctions, it could break faith with nuclear negotiations and break them apart. (PTI)
