WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lack of outright Senate opposition, so far, to the new arms reduction treaty that President Barack Obama is to sign with Russia this week does not guarantee quick approval — or even that approval will happen at all.

Supporters, though, are confident that the treaty will ultimately win approval in the Senate where Obama’s Democrats have the majority, but not the required 67 — or two-thirds– vote.

“I’m pretty confident that if we can get this treaty to a final vote, not only will the treaty pass, but it will pass with a very large majority,” said John Isaacs, Executive Director of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.

Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev meet in Prague on Thursday to sign the successor to the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The new START commits the ex-Cold War foes to cut arsenals of deployed nuclear warheads by about 30 percent.

The White House hopes that by the end of 2010, the Senate as well as Russia’s parliament, the Duma, will have approved the deal. Senate committee hearings could begin this spring, as soon as the treaty and annexes are sent to Capitol Hill. No action is required in the House of Representatives.

Analysts say potential obstacles to the Senate’s consent lie not so much in what is in the new treaty, but concerns that some Republicans have raised about related matters: U.S. missile defense programs and the modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

U.S. politics and procedural rules could also delay Senate action and indirectly, that of Russia’s Duma. Russian officials say they want to “synchronize” ratification, suggesting they may not be willing to vote until the Senate does.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Irritated by Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s anti-Western outbursts, the Obama administration is expecting some fallout in the U.S. Congress and further erosion of public support for the war.

With congressional elections looming in November, many from President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party see a fight at the polls not only on economic issues but also on whether the war in Afghanistan is worth it. Karzai’s tone may weigh on that.

Karzai accused embassies of perpetrating election fraud in Afghanistan last year and of seeking to weaken him, claims the White House said were “just not true” and “disturbing.”

“These public comments have a certain constituency in Afghanistan but it could have a ripple effect on Capitol Hill,” said a senior U.S. official, who asked not to be named.

“We are seeking funds for Afghanistan as it is in our interest but obviously we will need to sustain political support on Capitol Hill and these comments will not be well received.”

The Afghan leader also told tribal elders on Sunday that government officials should not let “foreigners” interfere in their work, statements likely to get close scrutiny when U.S. lawmakers return next week after the spring break.

TIMING

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Getting an agreement on a new nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia has not been easy for the Obama administration. Getting it through the U.S. Senate may be just as hard.

The tortuous negotiations between the White House and Moscow are over as a deal was sealed on Friday on a landmark treaty to slash their nuclear arsenals by a third, and now the political horse-trading with Republicans begins.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, whose Foreign Relations Committee will consider the treaty, said on Friday he wanted the Senate to ratify the agreement this year that replaces the Cold War-era START pact.

But the U.S. political climate hardly seems conducive. Some Republicans have declared that the bitter and drawn-out healthcare reform debate has “poisoned the well” and Obama will be hard-pressed to win them over on other issues.

The numbers involved in ratifying a treaty are daunting as two-thirds of the Senate, or 67 votes out of the 100-seat chamber, are needed. Obama’s Democrats and independents who tend to vote with them number only 59, so Republican help will be essential.

Then there are concerns Republicans have raised about what Washington is getting out of such a treaty, and whether Obama will keep the nuclear arsenal up-to-date while cutting it.

Some Republicans have warned Obama that they will not consider the START follow-on until the administration provides a modernization plan for the U.S. nuclear arsenal, required by recent legislation.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he feared Middle East peace talks could be delayed for another year unless Palestinians drop their demand for a full freeze on housing settlements.

Palestinian officials said it was Netanyahu’s policy that was keeping the peace process in limbo.

“We must not be trapped by an illogical and unreasonable demand,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other congressional leaders, according to his spokesman.

“It could put the peace negotiations on hold for another year,” he said about talks that have been suspended since December 2008.

Netanyahu went to Capitol Hill, a bastion of support for Israel from both sides of the political aisle, before a White House meeting later in the day with President Barack Obama to try to repair relations frayed by the settlements issue.

The Palestinians retreated from their agreement to begin indirect, U.S.-mediated peace talks two weeks ago after Israel announced plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in an area of the occupied West Bank annexed to Jerusalem.

“We in Congress stand by Israel, something (on which) we have a joint bipartisan commitment,” Pelosi, making no mention of settlements, told reporters.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Companies worldwide that supply gasoline to Iran would be largely prevented from doing business with the United States under bills that have passed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

Negotiators must combine the bills into one if Congress is to pass the measure and send it to President Barack Obama for signing into law. The influential pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC, which is meeting in Washington this week, is urging U.S. lawmakers to finish the job.

The goal is to pressure Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program that Washington says is aimed at making a bomb and Tehran says is for producing energy. Key U.S. lawmakers would like to coordinate these sanctions, but it is unclear how long Congress will wait for the international community to act.

U.S. companies are already prohibited from trading with and investing in Iran. Foreign companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector already can be sanctioned under existing U.S. law. But no penalties have ever been imposed under this law.

Following are some key provisions of the House and Senate bills aimed at punishing Iran for its nuclear program.

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

Both the Senate and House bills would sanction any company worldwide that exports gasoline or other refined petroleum products to Iran, or that provides Iran with goods or services that help it expand its own production of these products.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – Companies worldwide that supply gasoline to Iran would be largely prevented from doing business with the United States under bills that have passed the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Negotiators must combine the bills into one if Congress is to pass the measure and send it to President Barack Obama for signing into law. The influential pro-Israel lobby group AIPAC, which is meeting in Washington this week, is urging U.S. lawmakers to finish the job. The goal is to pressure Iran to stop its uranium enrichment program that Washington says is aimed at making a bomb and Tehran says is for producing energy. Key U.S. lawmakers would like to coordinate these sanctions, but it is unclear how long Congress will wait for the international community to act. U.S. companies are already prohibited from trading with and investing in Iran. Foreign companies that invest in Iran’s energy sector already can be sanctioned under existing U.S. law. But no penalties have ever been imposed under this law. Following are some key provisions of the House and Senate bills aimed at punishing Iran for its nuclear program. PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES Both the Senate and House bills would sanction any company worldwide that exports gasoline or other refined petroleum products to Iran, or that provides Iran with goods or services that help it expand its own production of these products. The sanctions would kick in under the House bill if the value of the gasoline is more than $200,000 — or more than $500,000 during one year. The Senate would put the aggregate threshold at $1 million. Companies that finance, broker or underwrite the shipments or deliver the gasoline also would be subject to sanctions. NEW SANCTIONS Both bills would impose these sweeping new sanctions on companies engaging in the prohibited activities: — Foreign exchange: Companies could not engage in currency exchanges through U.S. banks. — Banking transactions: Companies could not use U.S. financial institutions for credit transactions or payments. — Property transactions: Companies could not engage in property transactions with U.S. citizens or companies. — Government contracts: Companies could not get U.S. government contracts. PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER Both bills would allow the U.S. president to waive sanctions, as he can under existing law. But the House bill says this could happen only if the president certifies to Congress a waiver is "vital" to U.S. national security interests. The Senate bill has the following additional provisions: EXPORT RESTRICTIONS The Senate bill would ban direct imports from Iran to the United States and exports from the United States to Iran, except for food and medicines. ASSET FREEZE Senators want the Obama administration to freeze the assets of Iranians, including Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, who are active in weapons proliferation or terrorism. DIVESTMENT State and local governments and private asset fund managers could divest from firms that invested over $20 million in Iran’s energy sector without being sued by fund shareholders. CONTROLS ON SENSITIVE TECHNOLOGY The Senate bill would strengthen export controls to stop the illegal black market export of sensitive technology to Iran through other countries and impose tough new licensing requirements on those who refuse to cooperate. COMMUNICATIONS MONITORING Companies that supply Iran with communications monitoring technology could not get U.S. government contracts under the Senate bill. The Iranian opposition movement’s communications have been disrupted by the government. U.S. SUBSIDIARIES The Senate bill would apply the U.S. ban on trade with Iran to foreign subsidiaries of U.S. firms. POSSIBLE EXCEPTIONS? To address concerns the bill could backfire by antagonizing U.S. trading partners, the House bill’s sponsor Representative Howard Berman says he is open to creating exceptions for companies from countries with their own robust sanctions on Iran. AMENDMENTS? Senators John McCain and Joe Lieberman want to add an amendment dealing with human rights violations. Their proposal would require the U.S. president to compile a public list of individuals in Iran who are complicit in human rights violations. They would then be banned from getting U.S. visas and would have their financial assets frozen in U.S. banks. This could be added during the House-Senate negotiations, as could any other amendment agreed on by negotiators. (Editing by Will Dunham)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A key lawmaker said on Wednesday he wanted Congress to impose new sanctions on Iran by the end of April in concert with tough, new international action against Tehran over its nuclear work.

“My goal is to get the bill to the president (for signing into law) in April,” said Representative Howard Berman, sponsor of Iran sanctions legislation in the House of Representatives and chairman of the chamber’s Foreign Affairs Committee.

“We (U.S. lawmakers) are going to act, one way or the other,” Berman told Reuters. “I would like to know whether the international community is serious about this issue.”

Ideally, U.S. action would be coordinated with other countries, so long as they were serious about it, Berman said.

Western powers want the U.N. Security Council to approve a resolution imposing new sanctions on Tehran. The goal is to pressure Tehran to give up its nuclear program that many suspect is aimed at making a bomb and that Iran says is for producing energy.

But China is resisting the sanctions drive. Some EU officials have said they need to be prepared to move rapidly to implement their own measures to rein in Iran’s nuclear program if attempts to win U.N. backing drag on for too long.

Both the U.S. House and Senate have approved versions of legislation to let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran’s gasoline suppliers.