As expected, China putting the breaks on Iran sanctions ...

Laura Rosen/ here

Although a State Department China hand described constructive U.S.-China cooperation on Iran in Hill testimony today, there are more signs that China is trying to put the breaks on moving forward with new Iran sanctions at this time.

"China also opposes Iranian development of nuclear weapons and expressed concern about the Iranian situation in the U.S.-China Joint Statement released during the President’s November trip," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Shear told the House Armed Services Committee today. "China is an active member in the P5+1 process, and recently supported the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution that sharply criticized Iran’s nuclear program. .... We continue to engage with China and other P5+1 partners on next steps, including how and when to apply the pressure track onIran."

But a diplomatic source tells POLITICO that China is saying its political director may not necessarily be able to come to a meeting of the P5+1 -- the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany -- that is scheduled for next weekend in New York. It couldn't immediately be confirmed if China does not plan to attend, or plans to send a less senior representative. The State Department did not immediately respond to a query on the matter.....

A European diplomat said today that the Obama administration appeared to have been deeply impressed by the civil unrest underway in Iran during the late December to early January Ashura period, and become struck that the opposition protests in Iran are not going away. It wants to avoid sanctions that might alienate the Iranian people. Key Iranian opposition figures including Paris-based filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf have also called for targeted sanctions on the IRGC.....

More targeted sanctions on an expanded list of designated IRGC connected entities is also perhaps useful for the administration because they can be authorized without any additional UN Security Council resolution, which China is in a position to block, should it choose.

But the European diplomat also said that while the Obama administration may have stopped publicly talking about "crippling" sanctions on Iran -- a phrase Secretary of State Hillary Clinton previously used -- the list of entities to consider designating for sanctions that the Obama administration is sharing with its P5+1 counterparts is the same list as before."