AFP, Washington, Sept 25, 2009 – Senior US lawmakers called Friday for new US and international sanctions against Tehran after the revelation of a secret Iranian nuclear facility stoked fears over the country’s suspect nuclear drive.
But the growing chorus seemed unlikely to translate into action on vastly popular sanctions legislation before October 1 talks between the Islamic republic and the United States, Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany.
’Iran must take the necessary steps to demonstrate its willingness to live as a peaceful partner in the international community,’ Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.
’And we must use the tools at our disposal — from diplomacy to sanctions — to stop Iran’s march toward nuclear capability,’ said Pelosi, who backs President Barack Obama’s strategy of engaging Tehran.
Democratic Representative Howard Berman, lead author of legislation that takes aim at Iran’s gasoline imports, denounced the country’s nuclear drive but said he would wait until after the October 1 talks to act on the bill.
’Today’s news reinforces my determination to bring the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act before the Foreign Affairs Committee for consideration next month,’ said Berman, who chairs the panel.
Because of a lack of domestic refining capacity, oil-rich Iran is dependent on gasoline imports to meet about 40 percent of domestic consumption, and Berman’s bill would target companies that meet those needs.
Iran gets most of its gasoline imports from the Swiss firm Vitol, the Swiss/Dutch firm Trafigura, France’s Total, the Swiss firm Glencore and British Petroleum, as well as the Indian company Reliance.
The measure enjoys staggering support among US lawmakers, with more than 310 backers in the 435-vote House of Representatives and 75 co-sponsors in the 100-seat Senate.
Top Democrats have said they want the Congress to hold its fire until after the October 1 talks, despite calls from some prominent party members to act on a sanctions package now.
’They (Iranian leaders) have to know it’s a painful choice that they have made in hiding facilities that enrich uranium,’ Democratic Representative Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told MSNBC television.
’I think we need to push those sanctions as best we can.’
Skelton brushed aside the possibility that oil-rich Iran — which lacks domestic refining capacity and therefore relies on imports for 40 percent of its gasoline consumption — might retaliate by cutting off petroleum exports.
’I don’t know what they would do, but I think we need, regardless what they try to do, we need to push those sanctions,’ said the lawmaker, who described the news Iran had a second, secret uranium-enrichment site, as ’very troubling.’
’If they were on the level, if they were really trying to do this for peaceful purposes, they would not go around hiding the facilities where they’re enriching this uranium,’ he said.
Democratic Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he still backed Obama’s policy of engaging the Islamic republic diplomatically but that it was time for more global sanctions.
Obama ’has offered Iran every opportunity to open a constructive diplomatic dialogue on its nuclear program. To this point, there is no evidence that Iran intends to reciprocate,’ Kerry said in a statement.
’Now is the time to supplement engagement with more robust international sanctions,’ he said, calling that the only way to step up global pressure on Tehran and ’help leverage pressure on the regime from its own population.’
’This revelation should put the international community on notice that its collective willingness to give the Iranian regime ’one more chance’ is not working,’ said House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner.
Boehner called for more global sanctions — ’even if other nations like Russia and China refuse to join this efforts’ — and said the United States ’should not participate in direct negotiations with Iran.’