The administration of US President Barack Obama has asked lawmakers to delay a new round of sanctions against Iran as a political stalemate in Congress has led to a federal government shutdown in the US

The administration of US President Barack Obama has asked lawmakers to delay a new round of sanctions against Iran as a political stalemate in Congress has led to a federal government shutdown in the US.

On Thursday, Wendy Sherman, the US State Department’s third-ranking official, told senators to delay new anti-Iran sanctions legislation until after upcoming talks over Iran’s nuclear energy program later this month.

“We do believe it would be helpful for you to at least allow this meeting to happen on the 15th and 16th of October before moving forward to consider these new sanctions,” Sherman, the undersecretary of State for political affairs, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States - plus Germany are to hold talks in Geneva on October 15-16 over Iran’s nuclear energy program.

The parties also met at the UN headquarters in New York last week. After the UN meeting, US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, held a bilateral discussion of more than 20 minutes.

Later, in an interview with CBS broadcast on Sunday, Kerry said “It’s possible to have a deal” with Iran over its nuclear energy program soon, adding Washington could begin lifting sanctions against Tehran within months.

Sherman has said the Obama administration would not necessarily object to new sanctions and would be willing to work with Congress after the Geneva meeting.

Meanwhile, Obama repeated his threats of military action against Iran after a meeting with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday and claimed that Iran is calling for diplomatic negotiations over its nuclear program because of the illegal sanctions Washington has imposed on Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister criticized Obama for his remarks, saying Obama is being “disrespectful of a nation.”

Zarif also warned Obama that his “flip-flop and contradictory” stances will destroy mutual confidence and urged him to show consistency in dealing with Iran to promote trust.