World | Obama administration Obama to Tighten Bush's Iran Sanctions White House will apply pressure unilaterally on world trading By Kevin Spak Posted Sep 29, 2009 9:07 AM CDT Copied Barack Obama, Gordon Brown, and Nicolas Sarkozy leave the stage after making a joint statement on Iran's nuclear facility, Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, during the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak) The Obama administration’s plan to sanction Iran looks a lot like that of his predecessor. Officials say that if nuclear talks with Iran fail, they will likely tighten enforcement of Bush sanctions rather than impose new ones, the Washington Post reports. Obama has even retained the top architect of Bush’s effort, Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey, to ensure continuity. Their goal: make it difficult for Iran to trade with the world. To that end, they plan to target insurance companies that back Iranian shipping operations, and companies that avoid trade restrictions by routing goods through Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, or Hong Kong. Those measures could be in place by New Year’s, but beyond that, the administration’s options are limited, because it doesn't want to do anything unilaterally that will interfere with building a consensus among governments to put pressure on Iran. Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. New Fox star, 23, misses first day after car troubles. Report an error