The US Senate passed a bill on new sanctions against Iran, two days prior to the negotiations with Russia, UK, Germany, China, US and France in Baghdad set for May 23. President Barack Obama signed the bill on sanctions against foreign companies working with the Iranian Central Bank in December, ITAR-TASS reports.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last week the six mediators managed to form a common position for Iran.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged them not to make concessions for Iran and force it to close down nuclear facilities and hand enriched uranium, RIA Novosti reports.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano visited Tehran earlier and expressed hope for success at the talks.
Netanyahu said earlier that he did not believe in success of Baghdad negotiations.
The IAEA and Iran discussed the nuclear program in Tehran.
The US and a set of other Western states accuse Iran of developing nuclear arms on the background of peaceful atom. Tehran denies all accusations and insists that the nuclear program is to fulfill demands for electricity.
The six mediators (Russia, China, US, France, UK and Germany) and the IAEA have been trying to persuade Iran to stop uranium enrichment since 2003, saying that the process threatens the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
Four resolutions of the UN Security Council have been passed against Iran. They demand clarity of the nuclear program and guarantees of its peaceful nature.
