Obama urges US lawmakers against further sanctions on Iran

President Barack Obama urged skeptical US lawmakers on Thursday to hold off on imposing further sanctions on Iran, saying that if diplomacy fails to force Tehran to curb its nuclear program, any easing of punitive measures through negotiations could be "ramped back up."

"If we're serious about pursuing diplomacy, there's no need to add new sanctions on top of the sanctions that are already very effective," Obama told reporters. (Reuters)