U.S. senators' stalled attempts to advance legislation creating new sanctions on Iran illustrate deep divides in Washington over whether such economic punishment would compel Tehran to curtail its atomic activities, analysts said.
Obama administration officials and supporters are warning that punitive proposals against Iran floated on Capitol Hill would undercut the possibility of a deal, in part by threatening enforcement of broader international sanctions they say are leading to progress in resolving an international nuclear standoff with the Middle Eastern nation.
Senators this week said they will try to advance measures including a proposal from Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) to prevent the administration from waiving certain penalties on allies. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) also wants to insert legislative language creating new Iran sanctions in the defense authorization bill that the Senate may debate this month.
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If Washington had "to sanction companies [in] sensitive countries like China, Russia and Turkey, and from allies like Germany ... that will be more of a major stress on the sanctions coalition than new legislation that keeps most companies in line without requiring the administration to punish them," according to Mark Dubowitz, who heads the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
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