President Barack Obama's UN ambassador says the administration wants to work with the Republican-led Congress to achieve several foreign policy objectives but won't compromise on a new Iran sanctions package.
Samantha Power says new penalties on Tehran, as championed by Republican and some Democratic lawmakers, would "almost certainly end" nuclear talks between Iran and world powers.
And she says the proposed legislation would weaken existing sanctions on Iran by undermining international cooperation.
Power was speaking today at an event in Louisville, Kentucky, hosted by the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican.
She sought to stress commonalities: fighting Ebola, confronting terrorists, ending Burma's dictatorship.
She noted two areas of significant disagreement: Iran and Cuba.
On these, she said undercutting Obama's engagement strategy could set back US foreign policy goals.
