Baku. Real Jafarli – APA. President Barack Obama said on Friday he understands why some US lawmakers want to "look tough" on Iran, but insisted now is not the time to impose new sanctions on Tehran while it is set to negotiate over a long-term nuclear deal with world powers, APA reports quoting The Guardian.
"There is no need for new sanctions legislation, not yet," Obama told a White House news conference, a day after a group of US senators introduced a bill to impose new punitive measures on Iran if it breaks an interim nuclear deal reached last month in Geneva.
Obama, who has warned that new sanctions could scuttle the negotiations, said that "if we are serious" about seeking a final nuclear agreement, the US must act in ways that do not increase Iranian suspicions.
He said Iran has agreed to actions that will let other nations determine whether it is trying to weaponise nuclear materials. Iran says the materials are for peaceful uses only. The president says he would support tougher sanctions later if Iran violated the agreement.