Despite the President’s opposition, Senator Chuck Schumer said Sunday sanctions against Iran are still needed to force the nation to negotiate over its nuclear program.

“The Iranians didn’t come to the table out of the goodness of their heart,” Mr. Schumer said on NBC’s Meet the Press. “It’s pretty logical that it’s sanctions, tough sanctions, that brought them to the table.”

In a Friday press conference, President Obama suggested Congress talking tough on Iran as a desire to cater to the pro-Israel crowd. “I’m not surprised that there’s been some talk from some members of Congress about new sanctions — I think the politics of trying to look tough on Iran are often good when you’re running for office or if you’re in office,” said President Obama.

But Senator Schumer maintained that the measures taken by Congress will benefit the prospects of a good deal. “The best way to get Iran to give up nukes is to increase sanctions – it’s simple and logical. We have to be tough,” he said “I think that will make them negotiate and give up more.”

Meanwhile, as Obama heads off for a week vacation, Iranian lawmakers on Friday threatened that the Senate bill would be met with the appropriate response.

Mehdi Moussavinejad, a senior member of the Iranian parliament’s energy committee, said lawmakers were considering a measure that would increase Iran’s uranium enrichment from the current 20 percent to more than 60%, substantially closer to the 90% needed for nuclear weapons fuel.

“Given the method that the other negotiating side — the U.S. in particular — has adopted during the nuclear negotiations, the legislators are working on a bill that will require the government to increase the level of uranium to over 60%,” Moussavinejad told the official Iranian Republic News Agency.

(Jacob Kornbluh – YWN)