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Obama officials ask Congress to delay new Iran sanctions

Senior White House national security officials met with aides to Senate leaders and urged for a delay in new sanctions legislation being considered by the Senate Banking Committee.
U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman (C) looks on at the start of two days of closed-door nuclear talks at the United Nations offices in Geneva October 15, 2013. Iran will face pressure on Tuesday to propose scaling back its nuclear programme to win relief from crippling sanctions as talks between world powers and Tehran resume after a six-month hiatus. REUTERS/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX14BOC

The Obama administration is asking Congress to delay new economic sanctions on Iran in order to give momentum to negotiations on a possible nuclear compromise.

"We think that this is a time for a pause [in new sanctions], to see if these negotiations can gain traction,” Under Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told the Voice of America Persian Service in an interview Friday.

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