New US Sanctions Unlikely

Former diplomat Seyyed Hossein Mousavian says it is unlikely that the US Congress will impose new sanctions on Iran by March 2015.  Iran and the major powers agreed in late November to extend their talks on a final nuclear deal until the end of next June and agreed to work out the framework of a comprehensive accord by March.  “If the two sides fail to reach a general agreement by March, Congress may impose new sanctions,” Mousavian, a former nuclear negotiator (2003-2005), said in an interview with IRNA on Thursday. He also predicted that US President Barack Obama will veto any new sanctions on Iran.  In addition, Mousavian expressed optimism about the outcome of the nuclear talks and said if Congress scuttles a nuclear deal, the US will not be able to “build an international consensus against Iran.”