Iran: US State Department Pushes for "Proper" Sanctions in 2010

Josh Rogin of The Cable of Foreign Policy magazine offers a revelation about the efforts of the Obama Administration, or at least the State Department, to get control of the Congressional push for sanctions:

The State Department sent a letter to Congress Friday...asking lawmakers to hold off on an Iran sanctions bill until the New Year. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg wrote:

We are entering a critical period of intense diplomacy to impose significant international pressure on Iran. This requires that we keep the focus on Iran At this juncture, I am concerned that this legislation, in its current form, might weaken rather than strengthen international unity and support for our efforts.

In addition to the timing, we have serious substantive concerns, including the lack of flexibility, inefficient monetary thresholds and penalty levels, and blacklisting that could cause unintended foreign policy consequences.

The Latest from Iran (15 December): The Path to Moharram

Rogin notes, from a source, that the issue is not whether there should be sanctions but what form they should take. In particular, the Obama Administration is walking a tightrope --- in trying to get international support --- between getting acceptance of restrictions while not punishing those who trade with Iran too much: "One issue, the source said, is whether the bill's sanctions on third-party countries who are involved in selling refined petroleum products to Iran could be exempted if they are part of efforts to combat Iran's nuclear ambitions."

The battlefront is likely to be in the Senate, as the lower house of the US Congress is likely to pass a parallel bill, focused on petroleum sanctions, next week.