Democrats in Congress are joining Republicans in calling for tough new sanctions on Iran

POLITICO - By DAVID S. CLOUD 4/26/09

Democrats in Congress are joining Republicans in calling for tough new sanctions on Iran and warning the Obama administration that its policy of engagement shouldn’t last too long before turning to harsher steps aimed at halting Tehran’s nuclear program.This week, as many as 20 senators, including several senior Democrats in the House and Senate, are expected to join in introducing a bill that would authorize sanctions against companies involved in supplying gasoline and other refined petroleum products to Iran. A similar bill is also in the works in the House. Last month, seven senior Democrats, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), warned President Barack Obama against “open-ended engagement with Iran.”The administration is so far moving on a slower timetable, refusing to commit itself to new sanctions until it sees whether its diplomatic outreach to Iran produces results. Administration officials aren’t complaining about the new bills, saying privately it’s not so bad to have Congress threatening Iran with sanctions; it might make the direct talks that the U.S. is offering Tehran along with its allies and Russia that much more productive. But the pressure on the White House to abandon its outreach to Tehran is only likely to grow as months pass, raising the possibility of a tactical split between Obama and members of his own party on his most high-risk foreign policy initiative. (continues...)