Obama urges Congress to hold off on Iran sanctions, threatens veto

Yahoo – AFP, 16 Jan 2015

US President Barack Obama answers questions at a press conference in the

 East Room of the White House on January 16, 2015, in Washington, DC (AFP

Photo/Mandel Ngan)

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama on Friday urged Congress not to impose new sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, threatening to veto any such legislation that lands on his desk.

"Congress needs to show patience," Obama told a joint news conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron, adding that new sanctions would "jeopardize the possibility of... providing a diplomatic solution to one of the most difficult and long-lasting national security problems that we've faced in a very long time."

Cameron also spoke out against calls for further sanctions on Iran, saying negotiations needed "space" to succeed.

"We remain absolutely committed to ensuring that Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon," Cameron said.

"The best way to achieve that now is to create the space for negotiations to succeed. We should not impose further sanctions now."