John McCain, 02 Jun 2008

U.S. Republican Party presidential candidate John McCain has called for increased sanctions against Iran for its alleged pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Speaking Monday in Washington to a pro-Israel group, Senator McCain said the U.N. Security Council should impose progressively tougher political and economic sanctions on Iran.

He told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee that the United States should impose financial sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran and should consider limiting Iranian imports of gasoline.

The veteran Arizona lawmaker said Iran remains the chief sponsor of terrorism in the world, and has trained, financed and equipped extremists in Iraq who have killed U.S. troops

On Iraq, he said progress has been made since last year's surge of thousands of American troops to the country - a strategy that he points out was opposed by Democratic Party presidential hopeful Senator Barack Obama.

McCain said a withdrawal from Iraq, as called for by Obama, would result in a catastrophe, saying it risks an all-out civil war, genocide and a failed state in the Middle East.