The Obama administration said on Friday that it would support tougher economic pressure on Iran if the Islamic republic doesn’t begin slowing the pace of its uranium enrichment activity and opening its stockpiles of nuclear material to greater inspection, and reassured its critics that the US would not be played for “suckers” by the moderate tone of Iran’s new leader.
The chief US nuclear negotiator told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the administration could offer the Iranians some sanctions relief as “confidence-building” measures but that it would support new and tougher trade restrictions from Congress if diplomacy ultimately fails to ease concerns that Iran might be trying to develop nuclear weapons.
“I’m saying this” to Iran, said negotiator Wendy Sherman, who will meet with other world powers and Iran in Geneva in two weeks. “Come on the 15th of October with concrete, substantive actions that you will take, commitments you will make in a verifiable way and our Congress will listen,” added Sherman