US President Barack Obama urged on Tuesday lawmakers to delay new sanctions against Iran, ahead of new round of nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers in Geneva.

US President Barack Obama urged on Tuesday lawmakers to delay new sanctions against Iran, ahead of new round of nuclear talks between Tehran and world powers in Geneva.

Obama hosted hosted top senators at the White House for talks that officials said were "solely focused on Iran." 

The president, along with Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, urged lawmakers not to upset progress as Western diplomats in Geneva,  try to get Iran to agree to a deal that would freeze advancements of its nuclear program for the first time in nearly a decade.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said that with a new round of negotiations beginning in Geneva, "it would be appropriate for the Senate to pause before continuing new sanctions to see if these negotiations can move forward and make progress."

"The president noted that the relief we are considering as part of a first step would be limited, temporary and reversible, and emphasized we will continue to enforce sanctions during the six-month period," said Carney.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee told reporters after the meeting that the Obama administration believes a preliminary deal with Iran may be at hand.

“They are very explicit about what they think they may be able to achieve,” Corker said.

Members of Congress in both parties have been somewhat skeptical toward the nuclear talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, lawmakers in both the House and Senate sent the administration bipartisan letters urging President Obama to adopt a tougher line with Iran when negotiators meet again on Wednesday.

“We feel strongly that any easing of sanctions along the lines that [the international community] is reportedly considering should require Iran to roll back its nuclear program more significantly than now envisioned,” six senators wrote in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been struggling in recent weeks to persuade US senators to buck Obama and consider new sanctions against Iran at a time when negotiators from both sides are saying a deal is “quite possible” over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.

“I think you should not only keep up the pressure; I think you should increase the pressure,” Netanyahu said in an interview with CNN on Sunday.