Iranian official Zarif warns Hill on sanctions

A new round of congressional sanctions will kill Iran’s nuclear talks with the United States and other powerful nations, according to Iran’s top diplomat.

As the Senate returns Monday for a work period that some hope to use to craft a new economic sanctions bill, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned lawmakers that even delayed sanctions will eviscerate an interim deal to drawback Iran’s nuclear program in return for some sanction relief.

If lawmakers decide to pass legislation imposing new penalties on Iran while a more permanent agreement is negotiated, then “the entire deal is dead,” Zarif said in an interview with TIME.

“We do not like to negotiate under duress. And if Congress adopts sanctions, it shows lack of seriousness and a lack of desire to achieve a resolution on the part of the United States,” Zarif said. “I have a parliament. My parliament can also adopt various legislation that can go into effect if negotiations fail. But if we start doing that, I don’t think that we will be getting anywhere. Now we have tried to ask our members of parliament to avoid that.”

Zarif’s remarks come as the Obama administration descends on Capitol Hill to try to ward off hawkish lawmakers’ attempts to pass fresh sanctions. Secretary of State John Kerry will testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday and top Treasury and State department officials will make the case against new sanctions before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday.

Several powerful lawmakers on the Banking panel, including Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer of New York and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, have vowed to pass legislation that would take effect if ongoing diplomatic talks with Iran fail. But Senate Democratic aides doubt there is time this month for the Senate to pass sanctions, likely kicking any such legislation to next year.

POLITICO.com