Administration asks Congress to delay sanctions

Obama administration officials asked Congress to wait before enacting further sanctions on Iran, reports the Ploughshares-funded National Iranian American Council (NIAC).  The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs held hearings to discuss the potential effectiveness of sanctions for preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. Issues relating to the need to address human rights abuses in Iran and the possibility for blowback from the Iranian people due to the imposition of sanctions were also discussed. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg told the committee thatthe administration is pursuing a dual-track strategy of engaging with the Iranians while threatening isolation if Iran does not grant concessions.  He also said sanctions would be more effective if they were multilateral.“Sanctions are not only more effective if they are broad-based, but it also takes away the political argument that Iran could make that it is just U.S. hostility."